Family Complex
by Karin Ochibi-chan
Summary: Take Mikan, a girl without the perfect life, but was content. Then add her mother remarrying and getting arrogant step-brothers with them all living together in a small apartment. What do you get? Complete chaos of course! Mikan/multiple, and more.
1. Of Tragedies and Trespassers

**Karin: Hey people! This idea was in my head for a while now and since school is done, I'm going to put it up because I've been having Gakuen Alice on the brain for a couple of days. I was even dreaming about anime the last two nights and I woke up thinking that I was going to an anime convention. **

**Natsume: Weirdo**

**Karin: Oh hush! You're just mad because you're not in the first chapter.**

**Natsume: Tch, as if I would be mad because I didn't appear in one of your stupid stories. **

**Karin: Natsume, stop putting down my writing! Just because you're a genius doesn't mean everyone else is beneath you! Well, I guess the fangirls like that.**

**Title: **Family Complex

**Rating: **Teen

**Genre(s): **Humor/Drama/Family/Friendship/Romance

**Pairing(s): **Mikan/multiple, Koko/Sumire, Yuka/Narumi

**Summary: **Mikan's life wasn't perfect, but she was contented… until her love-struck mother comes bursting into the apartment and claims she getting remarried! Now living with her future step father and future step brothers in her small apartment causes her life to make distract changes. Can Mikan survive all this change and pompous assholes for brothers or will she surrender and let them all become a family while changing them as well?

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Gakuen Alice now, probably never will.

**--**

**Family Complex**

**Chapter One**

**Of Tragedies and Trespassers**

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"NO! YOU CAN'T DIE JACK! ROSE STILL NEEDS YOU!!"

_WHAM!!_

"…Are you sure you're a guy?" asked the only female present on the lumpy couch that her and her companion were seated on. They were currently watching Titanic on TNT in the female's apartment on Friday night.

"Of course I'm a guy! You seen me in swim trunks before for Pete's sake!" her companion exclaimed as he now had a bandage on his head where the female had whacked him as she usually did. _Such a violent person, _the male thought as he cried anime tears.

"And yet, I still think otherwise" the female teen replied with a teasing smirk. The anime tears flew faster now at her statement. He knew she was kidding with him, but it was fun to play along with her in another one of their games. "Anyway, why are we watching this chick flick again?" she asked her friend as she looked at the screen with half lidded eyes in boredom.

"Two reasons: One, there's nothing on the other few channels you even get, and Two, we have nothing better to do than to make fun of this movie while waiting for the pizza guy" the male explained as he also turned his attention to the screen.

"Y'know, they shouldn't make a movie out of the tragic event such as titanic" the female spoke out as she observed the scene, "or at least not mush it up with romance! This is about the titanic! Not some crappy love story between Miss spoiled and Mr. I-draw-naked-women!" the female said hotly as she glared at the screen. She then lifted her arms to redo her low ponytail that she felt was coming loose since her hair was short.

"Rose and Jack," her friend corrected. "And they're trying to appeal to the audience. Sadly, the real version of titanic wouldn't appeal to viewers so they took the story of people losing their lives because of human stupidity and said 'Hey, let's make this a tragic love story that will appeal to lonely women on Valentines Day and make people forget about how human stupidity caused the tragedy of titanic in the first place'!" he explained to her.

"Mmm, so true" the teenager of fifthteen agreed as she was done with her honey brown ponytail and placed her navy blue baseball cap backwards once more. She took another swig of her Pepsi while looking at the clock hanging in the living room of the small apartment. It read 8:32; her mother was currently out on a date with her boyfriend and wouldn't be back until late evening leaving her and her friend alone. However, both were used to this for the male practically _lived_ here instead of next door across the hallway. She trusted both of them to take care of themselves and not set the apartment on fire—despite the fact that she was annoyed from time to time that the male had his own apartment instead of mooching off them!

"Ah, thinking about the older occupant in the household, aren't we?" the male asked slyly knowing full well he was right. It was as if he could read minds, well, read _her_ mind to be exact. After all, they were childhood friends since they could walk, along with their other friend who they met in kindergarten. Sadly, she was studying overseas until after college leaving the two troublemakers by themselves, or "idiots" as she quoted.

"Just wondering the exact moment she'll come in spinning around and exclaiming she had the best night of her life as usual," the female replied. "Maybe we should go to bed at ten just in case to avoid the racket, ne?" this caused the male to sweat drop.

"Still haven't met the guy, huh?" her companion asked. This caused his friend to twitch. It really did piss her off that her mother didn't introduce the guys she dated to her own daughter. But then again, she _does_ tend to scare them away causing her mother to be single once more. The male should know because he's often apart of the scheme.

"Nn Mikan, have some trust in you mom," the male told the female, Mikan.

Sakura Mikan lived in Tokyo with her best friend, Kokoroyomi—known as Koko—and her single mother for as long as she could remember. Her dad died when she was only three in a car accident on a rainy day. The apartment complex they lived in wasn't the best known in Tokyo being that it was a little on the rundown side, but neither mother nor daughter cared for it was the home they lived since Mikan was born. It was very precious and Koko often joked that if the landlord tried to evict them, it would be the start of World War III.

"That's my soda, you Coco Puff!" Mikan exclaimed when she caught Koko drinking out of her Pepsi. She bonked him on the head and retrieved the drinking item. Without hesitation or thinking of the possibility of germs, Mikan took another gulp of her drink. "Besides, she's been dating this guy for maybe two years now, and I have not seen his face once! It's ridiculous!" she told Koko.

"No, what's ridiculous is the fact that you yell at me, hit me for taking your soda, then drink out of it anyway. I mean, I know you never cared about backwash when it came to me, but do you have to hit me for it?" he whined to her. His reply was a hand ruffling his sandy brown hair.

"Of course I do! One: if it wasn't me, that person would probably throw that soda can at you for drinking out of it. Two: don't _steal_ my soda, _ask_ for it Coco Puff" Mikan replied as she handed the beverage to the male who once again took a gulp from it.

"I have not, nor have I ever been, in relation to the bird of Coco Puffs" Koko replied while handing her soda back to her. Commercials were showing now so they had all the time to talk before going back to making-fun-of-cheesy-movies-mode. "Besides, nothing says bonding like backwash!"

"Oh really? Then maybe I should give you that goop in the back of the fridge to drink. My mom and I still don't know what it is so maybe you can find out if it's poison or not so we can drink it" Mikan suggested with a smirk. Her chocolate brown eyes sparked in amusement the whole time.

"You are truly the devil's spawn," Koko told her. Mikan just laughed as she shook her head causing her honey brown hair to sway with her. The two of them could be considered siblings with how they look and behave, or as Mikan's mother quoted, "Maybe I had a set of twins instead, but gave Koko away because he was… well, Koko"

"No my dear friend, Hotaru is the devil's spawn" Mikan corrected as she thought about their friend overseas. Imai Hotaru was truly an evil cold-hearted person. She was devious and blackmailed anyone no matter who it was to make a profit. She often charged Mikan and Koko with an "idiot fee" because of their constant stupidity and tendency to get in trouble. Still, deep down—way, _way_ down—she cared about the both of them and made sure they didn't get hurt. She also took pleasure in harming anyone who dared hurt her friends.

"Really? I thought she was the devil" Koko replied. Both of them burst out into laughter after that remark. Suddenly the phone rang startling the two so much they fell off the couch. Koko yelped and hid in the closet screaming, "The she-devil knows we're talking about her! Quick! Hide before she suddenly emerges out of the phone and kills us with her infamous Baka Gun!"

Mikan rolled her eyes as she picked up the phone. Koko could be a real dummy at times.

"Hello?" she asked to the person on the other line.

"Hello, I'm here to deliver a pizza to the Sakura residence" a voice answered on the other line.

"Sure, hang on a second" Mikan replied. She went over to the doorframe and pressed a black button. She heard the door from the outside opening and footsteps going up the small flight of stairs to her apartment door. It paid off to be on the first floor of the tiny apartment complex at times. You get your orders faster.

"Thanks a lot" Mikan told the pizza guy as he handed her the large box. She paid the fee and a seven dollar tip. With a friendly wave, she shut the door and called Koko out of the closet.

However, said male would not come out of the closet so said female had to go into the closet and drag said male out.

"It was just the pizza guy, Koko" she told him as he prepared to beg mercy from Hotaru. "Hotaru is overseas. She's not going to pop out of nowhere and shoot you with her Baka Gun," Mikan said to him as she grabbed a slice of pizza.

"Okay" Koko said. He took a piece of pizza as well, but froze when it was just about to touch his mouth. "I don't believe this!"

"What?" Mikan asked not really caring, but felt it was necessary to inquire.

"They put on fried anchovies instead of raw anchovies!" Koko exclaimed as if the pizza place had done a taboo act. "You don't fry anchovies! Especially with peanut butter and chocolate fudge!" Koko whined out.

Mikan nodded in agreement, but ate her slice without a fuss. She couldn't really blame the pizza place for messing up on their eccentric order.

Their pizza consisted of extra cheese, apple slices covered in caramel, bits of Doritos here and there, peanut butter, mini marshmallows, chocolate fudge, and fried—which was supposed to be raw—anchovies.

If that wasn't odd, Mikan didn't know what is.

"Still, I think the fried anchovies give it a certain charm" Mikan told Koko as she picked up another piece. She wasn't very conscious about her weight like most girls, and didn't care with how much food she ate or how she ate it in front of others. Besides, she makes up for it by eating lots of vegetables, having a high metabolism, and paying extreme catch with Koko at the local park.

"Bwou Whink Bwo?" asked Koko with his mouth full.

"Chew, swallow, then talk, Koko" Mikan reminded him and took a swig out of her soda. He complied with her wishes and made a loud gulp signaling that he swallowed his mouthful of pizza.

"You think so?" he repeated himself—this time pizza mouth free. Mikan nodded to show she was confirming to what she said.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not as good as raw anchovies but it's not bad either" Mikan told him as she took another huge bite. She was almost done her second piece.

"Hmm, still, I prefer raw ones" Koko told her.

"True" Mikan agreed. They then turned their attention back to the cruddy picture of Mikan's old television. "Hey look, we missed the ending" she said, but she didn't sound sorrowful at all.

"The antennas need adjusting again" Koko noted as he saw the picture getting fuzzy. Mikan sighed and rose from her spot on the old couch to fix the antennas. She stood behind the television and began moving the two crooked metal antennas slowly.

"Anything?" she asked out. Koko shook his head indicating that it wasn't getting better. She moved them one more time before he gave her the thumbs up showing her the picture was fine again. With that, Mikan returned to her seat and took up her third slice. "Hey, it's 'A Tale of Two Cities'" Mikan announced out.

"Oh joy," Koko muttered in sarcasm. Mikan slumped alongside him.

"I agree. I think it's a good movie for being in black and white, but the content is very hard to understand unless you watch it millions of times" Mikan told Koko.

"At least you understand this. I have no idea what's going on every time I see the movie!" Koko exclaimed.

"There's a book too" Mikan pointed out.

"Only you would know" Koko muttered causing Mikan to whack him on the head with her fist. "Itai! You don't have to be so mean! It's not my fault you're a book fanatic!"

Ah yes, books. The love of Mikan's life. Ever since she was little, she's been reading—most of her books had been for kids twice her age. The world of words had the ability to capture her in its depths and keep her there until the very last word in its pages. Fantasy was her favorite genre of all. The creative minds of others captivated her and memorized her. She loved to read about myths and legends. About mythical creatures and parallel worlds. As Koko stated many times, books was her alcohol, or she's a "Book-a-holic"

Books were truly Mikan's sanctuary. They comforted her in her saddest times when Koko couldn't be there. Having her mind sucked into the world of words put herself at ease when she was lonely. The pages have become a safe haven for her mind where she can retreat to when she felt distraught. Only Koko known the depth of Mikan's feelings when it came to books for she felt that these thoughts would disturb her mother. That was the last thing Mikan wanted: having her mother think that she wasn't a good mom because Mikan preferred the world of fantasy than reality.

"Don't worry Koko," Mikan told him, "You're still on top of my favorite things list" she said grinning. Koko grinned also and gave off a gloating laugh.

"Ha! Take that books, I'm still her favorite!" he ended it with sticking his tongue out a nothing causing Mikan to laugh.

"That's a relief for me, you know" Koko said after he was done mocking the written word. "I mean, if I lose your top favorite spot, who am I going to mooch off of and pal around with?" he asked in mock horror. Mikan responded by pushing him off the couch and taking his pizza slice for herself.

Suddenly, before Koko could pounce on Mikan for stealing his pizza, the door to the apartment burst open. Mikan and Koko turned to see a woman in her thirties looking positively giddy and bursting with excitement that was barely contained.

"Hey mom, you're home early" Mikan greeted with a raised eyebrow. Sakura Yuka grinned bigger if that was possible and raced over to her daughter—which wasn't much since the living room was small. Mikan was confused as to why her mother was happier than usual; so, she voiced out her confusion, "Mom—"

"MIKAN!!" Yuka cried out in happiness and engulfed Mikan in a bear hug. With the strength of ten men, Yuka swung Mikan around twice before setting her down again. "I had the most romantic night with the best man I've ever met!"

_Like that's anything new, _Mikan thought sarcastically completely ignoring what her mother was blabbering about, _As usual, he showers her with compliments and impresses her with his show-offy actions._

"—marry him and I said YES!!"

_Wait—what?!_

Mikan began coughing as she felt some of her soda go down the wrong pipe. She beat her chest a couple of times before facing a concerned Yuka and a shellshock Koko—meaning he was listening the whole time obviously—with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry Mom; could you repeat that last sentence because I thought you said 'marry'?" Mikan asked praying to Kami-sama what she thought she heard was just a figment of her imagination and too much anchovy pizza.

"Oh sweetie," Yuka's smile was back on again. She gave Mikan a tight hug and said with joy, "I'm getting married again! He's the perfect man! And he's got children too! We're all going to be one big happy family!" Yuka cheered and hugged Mikan to her bosom glowing in joy.

However, Mikan's mood was a whole lot different than Yuka's.

_Oh Hell… _

…………………………………**.**

**Karin: Okay, there's the first chapter to Family Complex. I enjoyed writing this so I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. Poor Mikan, she's in for a rude awakening. **

**Natsume: Whatever**

**Karin: There's the end of Chapter one. Please be kind enough to take time and leave a review. **

**Natsume: don't leave her reviews. She'll update if you do. **

**Karin: Natsume! stop being mean to me! **

**See ya next time**


	2. Of Wills and Woes

Karin: Hey guys

**Karin: Hey guys! Here's chapter two! **

**Natsume: She's updating faster because her mom will be sending the computer to a shop soon and she won't be able to update or write fanfictions. **

**Karin: Such a tragedy, but if it makes my computer get better, I'm willing to be computerless for a bit. **

**Natsume: You realize that means that you won't be able to watch any anime on the internet, right? **

**Karin: NO ANIME?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! I'LL NEVER SURVIVE!!**

**Natsume: Sucks to be you then. **

**Title: **Family Complex

**Rating: **Teen

**Genre(s): **Humor/Drama/Family/Friendship/Romance

**Pairings: **Mikan/multiple, Koko/Sumire, Yuka/Narumi

**Summary: **Mikan's life wasn't perfect, but she was contented… until her love-struck mother comes bursting into the apartment and claims she getting remarried! Now living with her future step father and future step brothers in her small apartment causes her life to make distract changes. Can Mikan survive all this change and pompous assholes for brothers or will she surrender and let them all become a family while changing them as well?

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Gakuen Alice, Natsume wouldn't be mean to me in the author's notes.

**Replies to Reviews from Chapter One: **

**Starburstxx- **congrats on being the first reviewer for Family Complex! I'm glad you're eager to find out what happens next.

**Dominiqueanne- **Hopefully you'll like this chapter as you did the first one.

**Fluffypenguinscandy- **You're welcome for the Koko/Mikan. I agree; waiting is no fun at all.

**K0nek0- **Sure, hello new friend! Glad that you find this story funny so far. I thought it was funny too when I was proofreading it.

**Kazumi17- **Hope you continue to like this story.

**Animeluv12- **Thank you. I will do my best.

**Blizzel- **It's good to know that others can actually see Koko and Mikan as best friends. I just couldn't get the idea of them as best friends out of my head.

**Lisettesakura- **yes, Mikan is technically poor. However, she doesn't let that get her down since she has Koko and she's not a really needy person.

**Animeaddict.7- **Happy that you love it.

………………………

**Family Complex**

**Chapter Two**

**Of Wills and Woes**

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"And now I, Sakura Mikan, hereby bestow upon you, Coco Puff, my whole collection of books and novels" Mikan said and signed her name on the long piece of paper containing lots of words and stuff.

"Erm, don't you think you're taking this a little too far?" Koko questioned as he sweat dropped. "Besides, I don't' want your books" he whined.

His reply was a whack on the head.

"Baka," muttered Mikan. She then showed him the long hand written document she made only an hour ago. "Now sign it"

"Why?" he asked. "Are seriously going to kill yourself because if you are, I'm forced to get your mother right now and handcuff you to that metal pole over there to prevent you from taking your life" Koko explained as he pointed to said metal pole standing on the roof of the five-story apartment complex. It wasn't tall compared to most buildings in Tokyo, but the two buddies often went here to watch the stars or get fresh air. Since no one comes up there, they had the whole place to themselves.

"I'm still considering it" Mikan told him with a straight face. Koko's sweat drop became bigger. "Are you gonna sign this thing or not?"

"Oh come on, just because you're mom is getting remarried doesn't give you a reason to go and kill yourself" Koko tried to sway her. "Unless we make some kind of suicide pact, then by all means, let's go kill ourselves" he said with a kidding grin.

"Not just getting married Koko," Mikan started aspirated, "But getting sons as well! And they'll be living with us starting tonight!" she told him and plopped down on one of the lawn chairs while Koko sat on the other one. A small table with the written document and two sodas was in between them.

"Really? How did that happen?" Koko was truly curious. Mikan's apartment was only a two-bedroom apartment with a small living room/dining room and tiny kitchen. Bringing a guy with seven sons to live there with them was probably the most comical thing he could ever imagine.

"Well, it went along like this…"

**--**

_Flashback (this morning)_

_It had been the start of the third day since Yuka had announced her remarriage and the woman has been on Cloud nine since. It was beginning to drive her daughter nuts. _

_So, being the annoyed—ahem, _concerned_—daughter that she is, Mikan had voiced out her inquiry to her up in the clouds mother._

"_Mom," Mikan began, "when exactly am I meeting these people?" she asked. Truth be told, she didn't want to meet them at all, but she knew that she would have to meet her future family members eventually and she didn't really want to wait until the wedding day to see what's she's in for thank you very much!_

"_Oh honey!" Yuka giggled, obviously understanding what her daughter was getting at. Mikan almost fell over from shock. Did her mother just _giggle_? "You'll meet them tonight!" _

_At this statement, Mikan raised an eyebrow as she grabbed an apple from the fridge. She washed it first before taking a bite into it. Some of the juice dripped down her chin. _

"_They coming for dinner or something?" she asked. Oh joy, she thought to herself sarcastically, a whole dinner of having to sit through giggling mother and unwanted future family members. Yeah, that sounded like something fun. NOT! _

_Her mother let out another giggle—Mikan was deciding or not to scream "What the hell did you do to my mother?!" but held herself back—before Yuka replied. _

"_Oh no, sweetie, not just dinner" her mother told her excitedly. Call it weird, but Mikan had a feeling that Yuka knew something that she didn't. And she definitely wasn't going to like it one bit. She patiently waited for her mother to spit it out ignoring her instincts telling her to high tail it out of there. _

"_You see, Mikan" her mother said seriously. Uh-oh; her mother being serious after a long period of non-stop giddiness didn't seem good. "We've decided that it would be better if we started to live like a family before the wedding so it would easier to adapt" Yuka explained. _

"_We?" Mikan inquired with suspicion. She surely had no part in this decision making so the "we" factor could only point to Yuka and her new fiancée. A low hiss erupted from her lips that luckily Yuka didn't catch. _

"_Yes, you're new father—"Yuka chose to ignore Mikan's snort—"and I have decided that we, meaning all of us, should start living together as a family" Yuka finished calmly. _

_However, a few seconds later, calm was nonexistent in Mikan's mind. _

"_WHAT?!" Mikan exclaimed. "I'm not living with people I never met! Are you nuts?! Are you on something!? No! I refuse!" Mikan protested and crossed her arms across her chest to show her point. _

"_You'll be meeting them tonight" Yuka pointed out in a dead pan. Mikan glared at her in response. _

"_That's not what I meant, Mom" Mikan growled out. "Not only are you making me live with strangers, but we have to move out too?!" Mikan yelled in outrage. She would rather burn at the stake than move out of the apartment. _

_Yuka just shook her head. _

"_Mikan, you didn't hear me clearly" Yuka told her causing Mikan to stop plans on murdering someone—namely her. "I said we'll be living with them; however, they'll be living here in the apartment with us" Yuka told her smiling hoping that would calm her daughter's worries. Yuka didn't think she was ready to part with their apartment anyway. _

_Fortunately, Mikan had stopped ranting and looked upon her mother with a dead pan expression. _

"_You serious?" Mikan asked. "We can barely fit you, me, plus Koko in here. How are we going to have your new _fiancée_—"she spat the word—"and unknown number of children living with us?" she asked. _

"_We'll manage" Yuka told her. "It's just until the renovations in their house are finished. Besides, it will be good for you" Yuka patted her daughter on the head. _

"_I doubt it" Mikan muttered. She hated change. It disrupted the fabric of her lifestyle and Mikan wasn't happy when her life was ruptured. _

"_Now, they'll be here tonight for our first dinner" Yuka told her with a stern look that meant "don't-you-dare-bail-out-young-lady". Mikan nodded dejectedly. _

"_So," Mikan started after a few seconds, "How many kids does this guy have?" She asked. Maybe they're will only be two, she thought with newfound hope._

_Sadly, Kami-sama had other plans, and those plans involved making Sakura Mikan suffer. _

"_Seven" Yuka chirped. She then hugged Mikan in gratitude for accepting her fate. "Isn't that great Mikan—not only are you getting a father but seven step-brothers as well!" Yuka squealed out in excitement. _

_A few minutes of dead silence ticked by before Mikan pulled away. _

"_Excuse me, Mom" Mikan told her smiling, "I just remembered I have to meet Koko on the roof" she told her mother before walking out the door, grabbing a piece of paper and pen in her wake, and dragging out a sleeping Koko out of his apartment up to the roof. _

_She had a will to write. _

**--**

"…And now I'm here telling you the reason why we are here in the first place writing my will" Mikan finished.

"Oh, yeah, I see now" Koko nodded in understanding. He then laid back on his lawn chair and took a sip of Mikan's drink. "Hmm, seven brothers, huh?..." he asked out.

"…perhaps you probably should carry out that suicide" Koko finished.

"Just shut up and sign the damn will" Mikan growled out.

"Hey, cussing is bad for your small intestines!" Koko told her, but he complied with signing her supposed will. (A/N: My friend says that)

"You're not a doctor meaning it's no conscious to me whether cussing is bad for your small intestines so I can cuss all I want" Mikan replied simply and ate some potato chips they brought up on the roof. "Dammit" she added just to spite him. (A/N: and like Mikan I never pay heed to my friend's claiming that my small intestines would blow up if I swear. Sweat drops).

"You're so mean Tangy!" Koko whined out using her nickname. Since Mikan's name meant tangerine, Koko had shortened it to tangy as a pet name.

"You know it, Coco Puff" Mikan said grinning. She too lied back on her lawn chair looking at the blue sky. It was a perfect day for cloud watching.

"It's going to be fine" Koko said after a while. "You always got along better with boys than girls anyway so at least you don't have to worry about make-up and chick flicks" he said trying to lighten his best friend's mood.

"Despite that, I hate change" Mikan said. She didn't like all these new things coming into her life. It made her feel alienated and frustrated. She felt like she was losing the life she once had.

"I know" Koko said solemnly. Another thing they had in common was that both friends never liked change. They wanted things to stay the way they were. They were terrified of change coming into their lives.

Because change might make them fall apart.

They've been together all their lives. When one cried, the other cried with them. When one laughed, the other was consumed in laughter as well. They knew the other like the back of their hands: likes, dislikes, quirks, favorites, least favorites, their very beings. There was never Koko or Mikan; it was always Koko and Mikan or Mikan and Koko. They were two halves of the same whole. If they were ever to cut the other out of their life, it would be devastating on both parties. They would never forgive anyone who hurt the other or tried to take them away from each other.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Koko" Mikan apologized as she looked up at the sky. "Here I am complaining about my measly problems when you have it tougher than me"

"No sweat" Koko replied with a grin. "My folks don't really bother me that much anymore. Besides, to me, you're my family, not them" he told her and took some chips.

Unlike Mikan's stable relationship with her mother, Koko's parents were a whole different story. They constantly fought about money along with their rotten lifestyle and were workaholics. As long as she could remember, Koko always spent his time at her apartment—even staying nights. Mikan only met his parents a couple of times and from what she knew of them and of Koko's home life in that apartment, they never even wanted Koko since they always ignored him. He was just an accident that they had to keep since they were also poor. Hell, he wasn't even acknowledged as their son!

However, Mikan then recalled something Koko had told her when they were six-years-old. They were saying good night to each and he had to go back to his apartment after a five days stay in hers. She asked him if it was strange always going home after staying with her for long periods of time.

It was then that Koko grinned and replied with "I'm not going home," he told her, "Not really" and that was when Mikan had fully understood that Koko had considered Mikan and her apartment his proper home.

Home is where the heart is, Mikan mused to herself.

"Hey, I have an idea" Mikan said suddenly. Koko turned his attention to her as she sat up and looked at him. Her hazel eyes serious as she looked into his amber ones, "Let's make a blood pact" she said. She then grabbed the will and made changes to it by crossing things out and writing new stuff in.

"What for?" Koko asked as he watched Mikan lightly prick her finger with the pen. He sat up as well and she pricked his finger after.

"So that if the other decides to give up, then we'll give up together" she said as she held out her index figure over the paper. A couple drops of blood dripped from each finger before they pulled them back and placed napkins over their fingers to stop the bleeding. After a few seconds when the bleeding ceased, they looked upon the new will with grins.

"I say, I like this much better" he said to her. Mikan nodded in agreement.

_The Blood Pact of Kokoroyomi-sama and Mikan-sama_

_Mikan-sama and Kokoroyomi-sama are best friends through and through. Through sickness and in health. Through the harshest times and the best times. Through life and death. May Death even try to tear us apart because we'll give it hell if it does. _

_Whether it's eating weird pizza or watching the stars on the rooftop; going to bigger and better places for long periods of time and only communicating by phone; growing up and starting new lives, we refuse to leave the other behind under any circumstance. Even if death is on the line, we either live together or die together. _

_Anyone who harms the other will never be forgiven by Mikan-sama and Kokoroyomi-sama. May they pray that Mikan-sama and Kokoroyomi-sama don't come after them in their sleep for their unforgivable crime. _

_Best friends through and through until the very end and beyond._

_Signed on September 13, 2008 by: _

_Mikan _

_Kokoroyomi _

_**May the force by with you**_

**Koko, take that off!**

_**No! It's cool!**_

**Why are we writing this argument down on the document instead of talking out loud?**

…_**because we're morons?**_

…**Okay…**

…_**I'm starving.**_

**Wanna go get some sandwiches?**

_**Can you make me grill cheese?**_

**Sure, what the hell?**

_**You cussed again! You soiled the document!**_

**Shut up! Do you want grill cheese or not?**

_**How can you be so calm!? Your small intestines are probably dead right now!**_

**I had enough of this, I'm leaving.**

_**Hey wait up! Mikan, you can't just get up and walk away! You even took the chips with you! **_

"Snooze you lose, Coco Puff" Mikan said and jingled the bag of chips. Koko responded by chasing after her down the stairs from the rooftop to retrieve the chips and get her to make grill cheese.

……………………………

**Karin: Okay, that was weird at the end, but I just wanted to show you guys the depth of Koko and Mikan's friendship. These guys are pals through it all. **

**Natsume; Boring **

**Karin: **_**(completely ignoring Natsume) **_**Don't worry though, next chapter is where Mikan meets the family. Let the chaos begin! **

**Natsume: So how are you coping with the prospect of being animeless for a little bit? **

**Karin: Not good, but not bad either. **

**Natsume: you say that now, but when it actually happens, you'll be a crying heap on the floor. **

**Karin: It's not my fault I have OAD!**

**Natsume: OAD?**

**Karin: obsessive anime disorder**

**Natsume: …okay… **

**See ya next time! **


	3. Of Meetings and Manners

Karin: Okay, bored out of my mind so I'm updating

**Karin: Okay, bored out of my mind so I'm updating. **

**Natsume: Well, at least you're putting some usefulness into your schedule**

**Karin: I don't always use my time recklessly! **

**Natsume: Give me one example**

**Karin: Erm… okay, I can't think of any at the moment, but I know that I don't use time recklessly! **

**Natsume: You're so dumb**

**Karin: No, just forgetful and lazy**

**Natsume: That works too**

**Title: **Family Complex

**Rating: **Teen

**Genre(s): **Humor/Drama/Family/Friendship/Romance

**Pairings: **Mikan/multiple, Koko/Sumire, Yuka/Narumi

**Summary: **Mikan's life wasn't perfect, but she was contented… until her love-struck mother comes bursting into the apartment and claims she getting remarried! Now living with her future step father and future step brothers in her small apartment causes her life to make distract changes. Can Mikan survive all this change and pompous assholes for brothers or will she surrender and let them all become a family while changing them as well?

**Disclaimer: **I only own this plot, so don't steal please

**Replies to Reviews from Chapter Two: **

**Fluffypenguinscandy- **I used to actually hate grill cheese, but then I had it for lunch one day and I fell in love with it. Yes, I agree that we are both ridiculous hehe.

**Blizzel- **Yes, I do have Wii. You can seriously do that? Wow, note to self: try out your suggestion when I'm bored and don't feel like cleaning or summer reading. Thanks for the support; I hope my computer gets better too.

**Animeaddict.7- **Happy to see (or read in this case) that you are enjoying my story so far. As for Mikan's new step-brothers, you'll find out who they are in this chapter.

**Akerue- **Yes, I wanted to add some humor into the blood pact.

**-kradraven—**I'm glad that others are enjoying the Mikan/Koko moments. I really enjoy writing about them. I believe that Koko and Mikan have so much chemistry to be best friends.

**Alwaysbtheir- **Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

**dominiqueanne- **glad you're enjoying this story so far.

…………………………**.**

**Family Complex**

**Chapter Three**

**Of Meetings and Manners**

**-**

**-**

**-**

"Oh for Pete's sake, Mikan!" Yuka exclaimed frustrated with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not going to kill you! I just want to put some make-up on you!"

As for our heroine, Sakura Mikan was currently locked in her own bathroom in safety from her crazed mother.

"That's the same thing!" Mikan yelled back as she sat on the bathroom floor against the bathroom door. She had been in there for over an hour.

The afternoon went by and Mikan had to bid goodbye to Koko in order to get ready for her first dinner with her new family.

Well, she would have if she didn't find Yuka standing in the living room with a dress and other girly things that Mikan would rather strangle herself than be caught dead in.

"Come on, sweetie, you'll look cute in it" Yuka pleaded on the other side. Mikan shook her head rapidly to rid her of the image of her in that pink frilly thing her mother called a dress.

"No thanks" Mikan replied. She was beginning to get bored. If it was her room, she could stay in there for hours and ignore Yuka no problem, but this was a bathroom. And in said bathroom there was nothing to do. If only she had one of her books with her to pass the time until her mother gave up.

"How long are you planning to stay in there?" Yuka asked through the door. It was almost eight o'clock and their guests would be arriving soon.

"Until you give up" Mikan replied with no hesitation. She heard a sigh on the other side of the door.

"Mikan, I have never made you wear a dress in your life," Yuka reminded her deciding to go with the guilt card, "I have given you the freedom to choose your own clothes—though I do wish you hadn't abandoned your femininity—and when I ask you just once to dress up for me, you don't do it! Honestly Mikan, do I mean so little to you?" Yuka asked along with a sniffle.

It was a moment of silence before Mikan's voice drifted through the bathroom door.

"Mom, you and I both know that I would never fall for a load of crap like that" Mikan dead panned. Yuka shrugged nonchalantly as if she wasn't being emotional a second ago.

"It could happen," Yuka replied.

"Well, not today" Mikan said.

"Why couldn't you be feminine?" Yuka asked with a smile and a shake of her head.

"Koko and Dad got to me before you could" Mikan told her with a smile. Despite the wooden object between them, they felt the warm atmosphere with each other.

"Yes, well, I love you all the same" Yuka told her as she always did. Mikan often felt that Yuka didn't like how she turned out, but Yuka would reassure her that she was happy with how Mikan turned out. Her daughter had a good head on her shoulders and knew right from wrong. Whether or not she was feminine made no difference to Yuka.

Still, it would've been nice if she was.

"You're just like him" muttered Yuka as she sat against the bathroom door. The horrible excuse for a dress and the girly items laid beside her. "Stubborn, Passionate, Independent, and wouldn't dare let anyone tell you what you could and couldn't do" Yuka felt herself recall back to the memories of her first love—Mikan's father. While she had moved on, she still missed the good times with her deceased husband.

"Good, at least I'm keeping his memory alive" Mikan said bitterly.

"Mikan, I loved your father more than anything" Yuka told her seriously. "But he wouldn't want us to dwell in the past. He would want us to move on and be happy"

Silence was Yuka's answer. With another sigh, Yuka rose from her spot against the bathroom door and grabbed the feminine items. She began to walk to her room before turning back to the bathroom door.

"You win," Yuka told her, "I won't make you dress up, but at least wear something nice and not look like a slob, okay?" and with that, Yuka shut the door to her bedroom and prepared to get ready.

A few seconds later, the bathroom door opened to reveal Mikan. She gazed at the closed bedroom door before silently going to her own.

She would wear something decent, she decided. Talking about her father made Mikan not want to spite her mother this time. She would be civil, give them a chance, but if there is a reason given to her, she would fight back without regard of being nice. Koko often told Mikan was the type of person who did as she pleased, but she would be considerate of others if given the situation. A thing he admired about her.

Mikan changed into a nice pair of blue jeans (meaning they were not totally wrinkled) that were slightly baggy and a lilac polo t-shirt with the first button undone to give her neck room to breathe. She brushed her honey brown hair that went an inch and a half passed her shoulders and tied it into a ponytail. She placed her trademark navy blue cap on her head the proper way instead of backwards making it shadow her face and slid her ponytail through the back hole.

Mikan didn't know how long time had passed, but as she was engrossed into _Twlight _by Stephenie Meyer, she heard the door to the apartment opening and Yuka's happy greetings to their guests. She knew that she should be out there, but Mikan had decided to wait until her mom came to get her before stepping into her new life and leaving the one behind.

The knock on her door alerted her that it was time to make her appearance. With one last look at her room as if she was afraid it would change when she came back, Mikan shut the door behind her and stepped into the narrow and short hallway.

Unlike herself, her mother was wearing make-up and her nicest dress that they could afford on Yuka's salary. It was a dark emerald that reached down to her knees with top straps to hold the dress up on her shoulders. It was simple, yet elegant. Her mother looked truly beautiful.

After a few steps, they were in the living room. Mikan saw eight males standing there not facing them while chatting. Yuka cleared her throat and they all turned to her. The tallest with shoulder length blonde hair and violet eyes smiled gently when he laid his eyes upon Yuka.

"Narumi," Yuka began with a smile as she placed her arm around Mikan's shoulders to which the latter just stood there not minding, "This is my daughter and whole world, Mikan" Yuka said with the pride of a mother. Mikan inwardly smiled at that.

The blonde man, who was now introduced as Narumi, gave a smile of greeting to Mikan.

"Hello there, Mikan-chan" he said in a welcoming tone. Mikan could tell it was genuine so she let herself relax for a bit. Yuka mentally sighed in relief as she felt her daughter's shoulders no longer tense. She was afraid that Mikan wouldn't ease up at all.

"Nn, Mikan-chan, why do you have a cap on?" Narumi asked. "I'm sure you're just as beautiful as your mother" he was trying to see her face, Mikan realized. Her sharp eyes flickered to where Narumi's hand was about to touch her cap and her shoulder's tensed.

"Gomen Nasai, Narumi-san" Mikan spoke out in a detached tone causing Narumi to freeze before he touched her cap. No one was permitted to touch her cap except people very close to her. And even then it was hard to gain the privilege of touching Mikan's cap. "But I like to wear my cap, and I prefer to keep it that way" she said in a calm tone, but Narumi was sharp enough to catch the warning in her voice.

Do. Not. Touch.

"If that's what keeps you happy, Mikan-chan" he told her sounding that he was fine with her decision. Mikan relaxed again. At least he was being considerate and not probing her with questions on why. That earned an okay with her. "And don't worry about being formal! You may call me Narumi-tou-san" he said sounding giddy.

"No thanks, Narumi-san" Mikan replied. Despite the fact that he was considerate, she noted that he was flamboyant and kind of rude without meaning to be. I mean, do you think that Mikan would call someone father when she wasn't over her own father's death?

"YOU'RE SO CUTE!!" he exclaimed and without warning, engulfed her in a bear hug.

"ACTING SO SERIOUS WHEN YOU'RE SO SMALL!! IT'S SO ADORABLE!!" he proclaimed as he spun her around. The rest of the room sweat dropped at the man's actions.

_My personal space is being invaded; my personal space is being invaded; my personal space is being invaded, _and so on and so forth went through Mikan's mind. She was too preoccupied with that fact that she didn't pound him in for calling her small. She was petite thank you very much!

"Ano, Narumi, I know my daughter is the cutest thing to walk this planet," Yuka said with adoration that Mikan was afraid they both would start cuddling her, "But the food will get cold and I'm sure everyone here would like to eat" Yuka suggested to the occupants of the room.

"Tch, how can they know if she's cute or not? She probably wears that cap to hide her ugly face" muttered a male voice. Mikan's eyes locked on the person who said it and connected with crimson ones.

The crimson eyes belonged to a tan handsome face that looked to be her age. His messy raven hair drifted somewhat over his eyes in which the messy look fangirls would call "sexy". He wore blue jeans with a black polo shirt with a few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Judging from his height, Mikan would probably barely reach his shoulder.

Her eyes then flickered to the other occupants in critical curiosity. She came across a male next to him the same age as the first with blonde hair that was darker than Narumi's. His baby blue eyes stared at her too, but not with much hostility as the first. Like the first, he had a lean figure wearing a light blue polo t-shirt with all the buttons buttoned and dark blue jeans. Another boy in which Mikan would only reach his shoulder.

The third being fifthteen also didn't have a hostile aura with him so Mikan eased up on her glare when she saw him flinch when her eyes directed to him. He had light green eyes and brownish blonde hair. His glasses made him look sophisticated instead of dorky. He wore nice black slacks with a white polo shirt that reached his elbows with a red tie. Everything about him screamed prim and proper and not a risk taker.

The forth looked to be the oldest of the bunch being eighteen. His long dark hair reached his mid-back. His dark eyes looked upon her with challenge and mocking at her small stature. However, Mikan didn't give a crap so she just blankly stared back at him. He wore a long sleeve navy polo shirt with two buttons undone and black slacks. She would probably reach the middle of his chest.

The fifth had a playful and mocking aura appearing to be the age of sixteen. Mikan had a feeling he would be the easiest to piss her off. His messy dark blue hair and Persian blue eyes met her view under her cap. On his cheek below his eye, he had a black star mark causing Mikan to raise an eyebrow. He wore blue jeans and a dark green polo shirt with a few buttons undone and a blue tie hanging loosely around his neck.

The red head looked to be seventeen. His hair was unkempt like most of the others and he had striking violet eyes like Narumi. His dark purple polo t-shirt brought out his eyes accompanied with black slacks. Unlike the navy haired boy, he had a black tie that was tied properly around his neck.

Once Mikan's eyes landed on the final male in the room, her thoughts were along the lines of _Finally! one who's smaller than me! _She stared into blank eyes like her own that were the color of blue-green. His gray hair was also unkempt adding to his adorable features. He appeared to be five, Mikan noted. He held a stuffed bear with him and held the hand of the first male.

After what seemed like an eternity of staring each other down, Mikan came to the conclusion to speak.

"Holy shit, a band of bishies are in my house" Mikan stated in a calm tone. And with that, Mikan turned on a heel and walked over to the table to eat ignoring the disapproving exclamation of "Mikan!" from her mother. Narumi held amusement in his eyes while saying "Cute and resistant to looks, you have a good daughter, Yuka"

"Mikan, did you have to say that?" Yuka asked as they all sat at the table. "There is a child in the room" she told her daughter with a tone of disapproval. Mikan just shrugged her shoulders and filled up her plate with food. Her disregard to etiquette was expected from Yuka, but it was still a pain!

"Sorry about that" Yuka apologized while giving another stern to Mikan in which the latter promptly ignored and began to say grace silently in her head.

"What are you doing?" the red head asked with a raised eyebrow. Was this girl stupid or something?

"Saying grace, dumbass. There are lots of people worse off so I'm grateful I'm provided for" Mikan explained with a harsh tone. Clearly from the males' expressions, they had never said grace in their lives. Her father always told her to be grateful for the things she had and not concentrate of the things she doesn't have.

"Mikan! Manners!" Yuka reprimanded.

"Like she has any," muttered the raven haired boy sardonically, "Judging from her attitude and choice of clothes, she doesn't have an ounce of properness in her" he said looking straight at her.

"Natsume-kun!" Narumi warned. The boy, Natsume, just shrugged like Mikan had done earlier and started eating. The others joined in.

Mikan chose to ignore the way they all ate their dinners so elegantly with etiquette and concentrated on her own meal. She cut up her chicken and began eating not caring if her eating habits weren't considered feminine. She felt her mother give her a warning look, but Mikan just continued eating like she always did.

The dinner was consumed in an eerie silence. The hostile aura that Mikan felt was still there but not as huge as before. She knew they could feel her hostility as well. She had a feeling that each handsome and lean male could feel it.

"So, Mikan-chan," Narumi began in conversation, "Yuka tells me that you go to a public school" he said to her.

"Yup" Mikan simply replied getting a feeling that he's never set foot in one. The little devil on her shoulder grinned at the prospect of having a little fun. "The rats and cockroaches are very huge there. Why just the other day, there was this huge fricken rat the size of a toilet bowl swimming in the toilet" she told them was a smile. Some of them looked sick after she said that.

"Mikan!" Yuka exclaimed in shock. She couldn't believe Mikan would go that far.

"We named him Cheesepuff" Mikan said simply ignoring her mother. After all, she did promise to be civil unless there was a reason not to. And the fact that they insulted her first caused her to misbehave so she wasn't breaking any promises.

"I see…" Narumi said uncertainly with the smile still on his face. "Have you ever gone to private school?" he asked her.

Mikan had no idea why that question was relevant, but Narumi had been nice so far so she decided to answer his question.

"Nope" she drawled out the "p" making a pop sound as she did so. "But where's the fun in private schools? In public schools you get more freedom and get to sell drugs in the hallways along with having orgies in the bathrooms. Not that I do any of that stuff, I'm just a bystander who observes and laughs at the people who are morons and dumb enough to get caught. Basically anything happens in a public school except breaking into song and dancing in the hallways. That only happens in _Hairspray_" Mikan explained. Okay, maybe she was exaggerating a little, but it was so fun to play along. It reminded her of the games her and Koko play with each other.

Yuka didn't even bother with reprimanding her daughter this time. She knew once Mikan got started, there was no stopping her. She hung her head in hopelessness and prayed that Mikan wouldn't take it too far.

It was as if Kami-sama had heard her prayers because Mikan then rose up from her seat and took her finished plate to the sink. Yuka's eyes drifted towards the clock and her mind clicked. It was almost nine o'clock. This was the time when Mikan and Koko would be on the roof star gazing. Knowing full well that this was a tradition like the Friday nights that Yuka couldn't break, she let Mikan go.

A ruffling of a bag of Doritos got her attention.

"Don't finish them all off this time or I'll make sure you never have Doritos again" Yuka told Mikan referring to both her and Koko. The two of them could go through a bag of chips faster than you could say "My daughter and her best friend are Doritos fanatics"

"Aa" was all Mikan said as she grabbed a dark green hoody from the closet and zipped it up before leaving.

"So," Yuka began after a moment of silence, "Dessert anyone?" she asked with a nervous laugh.

**--**

"You know, even if there isn't much lighting in this part of town at night, I would like to see the sky without any lights at all in Tokyo" Koko said as he lied back on the lawn chair with his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, that sure would be beautiful" Mikan agreed. She too was laid back with her arms behind her head.

Currently, the two of them were lying back on their cushioned lawn chairs with a huge blanket on them from the chest down. The lawn chairs were connected making it look like a king sized lawn chair bed. The seats were also adjusted to lie back like a bed.

"So, the dinner went that bad, huh?" Koko asked after a few seconds. Mikan made a sound like "Mmhmm" before grabbing a chip and placing it into her mouth. "I can't believe you brought out the orgy thing! And there was a five-year-old at the table too! They probably looked like they wanted to call the cops and report it" Koko laughed out as he tried to imagine the eight "bishies" sitting at the table listening to Mikan.

"Narumi-san did" Mikan chuckled. Maybe she did put it on too thick. Sure, there was the occasional sexual intercourse in the bathrooms, but doesn't that happen anywhere? And the drug dealers were very discreet like in any school. There was no orgies or drug auctions publicly in the hallways at all. Her school was safe, calm, and Mikan enjoyed it.

"I cannot wait to tell this to Mochu and Kitsuneme when I get back" Koko said.

"Get back?" Mikan questioned. She sat up and looked at Koko seriously. "Where are you going?" she asked with suspicion. Koko sat up as well.

With a sigh, Koko ruffled his hair and looked at her nervously.

"Well," he started before he caught Mikan's look saying spit-it-out-before-I-beat-it-out-of-you, "My folks just got into a really bad argument, and my mom came in my room and…" he drifted off.

Mikan crawled closer to him and embraced him. She knew that it was hard to talk about his parents. She cursed his parents to the deepest pits in Hell. Koko deserved much better than what they give him.

"My mom says that I should go stay at my gramps for a bit" he finished as he embraced her back. She rubbed his back in soothing motions.

"You can stay with me, you know" Mikan pointed out still in his embrace. "You're always welcome" she reminded him.

"I know," he told her as he rubbed her back in comfort. He wasn't happy with the separation either, no matter how short it would be. "But you have to bond with your new family. You can't keep using me as a scapegoat to get away from them" he explained to her; although, she knew that he didn't mind at all that she chose to be with him instead of with her family.

"You're still my favorite" Mikan said. She felt Koko's grip on her tighten on her like a twin refusing to separate from their twin. That was what would perfectly describe them, Yuka often said, they were just like twins. They had a special connection with each other that even real twins wouldn't comprehend. It went so deep, far much deeper than blood.

They were siblings in everything but blood. Not even a bond of blood can reach up to the bond Koko and Mikan have.

"I know" she felt him grin at that; she grinned as well. "I'll be back for Fridays though. I can't break that tradition" Koko told her.

"How long?" she asked. Mikan prayed it wasn't long at all. Being without Koko was like being without her other half. It felt as if a part of her was ripped away. She knew it was the same for him. The fact that they felt empty and incomplete when the other wasn't there was suffocating to them.

Being without the other was like being with no air in their world.

"Dunno, it depends on my parents' attitudes towards each other. My mom kicked my dad out for a bit too. I'm leaving tomorrow morning so I won't be able to go to school with you" he explained.

"Then I'll pray," Mikan told him. They were laid back on the lawn chairs in each other's arms. "I'll pray for you every night. I'll pray that you'll come home soon" she told him.

"Okay, I'll pray too" he agreed. "I'll pray for Mikan. I'll pray that she's okay while I'm gone and that I get to come back to her soon" Koko said.

"They're really pretty aren't they?" Mikan asked all of a sudden. She was gazing up at the stars in the sky. "It's like they're in a stand still while we keep moving forward"

"That's because the world we live in is a story for them to watch for all eternity" Koko replied. "Our lives portray a movie for them to watch"

"I wish I was a star" Mikan said causing Koko to look at her curiously. "If I was a star, then things would stay the same for me. I wouldn't have to go through all these changes. I would always be watching over Earth and observe life on it. It's like a huge never-ending book that I can't put down" she explained.

"Aa," Koko agreed. "Even when Earth has so many horrible things, the only thing that keeps the stars from turning away is human bonds to each other. For those human bonds, stars continue to shine for us and watch this never-ending story" Koko told Mikan.

After that statement, both of them were engulfed in a comfortable silence in each other's arms. Like the stars above them, they chose to be at a stand still; even if it was only a little while. Just observing the stars as the stars observed them.

**--**

It was ten thirty by the time Mikan had returned to the apartment. Koko and her—despite wanting to stay up on the roof—had both decided that it was time to get back to reality. When Mikan opened the apartment door quietly, as to not disturb any of the sleeping parties, she almost had a heart-attack when she came across eyes wide awake and staring at her.

"Eep!" she squeaked out quietly. Her eyes caught sight of her future step-brothers all on cots in the small living room. Some were lying down while others were sitting up. She noticed that the youngest was already asleep clutching his teddy bear.

"Where did you go so late?" the blue haired boy teased in a whisper.

"Out" Mikan simply whispered back.

"Hmm, no manners whatsoever," the oldest chided out with a click of his tongue, "Leaving the dinner table like that after such a rude display" he said. Mikan's eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"Well, so sorry to scar you for life" Mikan muttered in sarcasm while crossing her arms. "It's not like I wanted to have you here in the first place" she told them with a glare. They didn't seem surprised that she had said that which concluded Mikan's deduction on their perceptiveness being sharp.

"Likewise" the raven haired boy, Natsume, told her. "It was just bad luck that dad had to marry a poor family" he said glaring at her. Mikan snorted.

"I figured you guys were loaded" Mikan said. "Judging by the expensive material your clothes are made out of and the way you guys behave, it's pretty obvious" she explained to them.

"Ano…" the boy with glasses squeaked out, "I-I th-hink that Mikan-chan and her mom aren't trying to get rich from marrying Dad" he told them cowering when the others glared at him. Definitely a guy without backbone, Mikan noted.

"Oh, that's what this is about" Mikan said. She put on her meanest glare—even though her cap covered it—and continued, "I can't believe you would think that. Honestly, I couldn't care less if you were loaded or not. I love my life here: simple is better in my opinion" she explained to them a little hurt that they would accuse her and her mother for being gold-diggers.

Silence fell upon them. This silence was not the comfortable one that she had with Koko, but one with awkwardness and hostility in the atmosphere. Deciding that it was time to leave, she began walking to her small room.

"Wait," a voice called to her causing her to stop and turn around. Natsume was looking at her for a second before he began pointing to the other occupants in the room.

"Akira" he pointed to the oldest.

"Reo" then the red head.

"Tsubasa" the navy haired boy gave her a slight wave.

"Ruka" he gestured to the blonde without glasses.

"Yuu" the shy boy gave off another squeak when he was pointed at.

"Youichi" he pointed to the little boy.

"Natsume" he said while jabbing a thumb at himself. Mikan nodded showing she knew who was who.

"Even if you're not after money, we still don't like you" Natsume told her. Mikan nodded again showing them the feeling was mutual.

"Night" was all she said and went into her room.

Once Mikan was gone, the boys turned to look at each other. Each of them was thinking about their new step-sister. She was a disrespectful disobedient child who did as she pleased. She didn't give a damn about money and was clear that she didn't give a damn about them either.

"I think she'll be fun" Reo said at last.

"A new toy to play with for sure" Tsubasa said with a grin.

"Tch. Morons" Natsume muttered as he pulled the covers over himself. He didn't want to be apart of these idiots' conversation.

"Oh come on, Natsume" Akira taunted. "We all knew that you can't wait to start torturing our new plaything. After all, you can't resist a challenge" he told the raven haired boy who just glared at him. Akira's grin grew because he knew he was right.

"W-wait a second!" Yuu protested in a whisper. "Mikan-chan is going to be our new sister. Shouldn't we try and get along with her?" he asked with a hopeful gleam. He didn't want to be apart of his brothers' cruel actions to their new sister. He was sure she was nice once you got to know her. "Ruka-kun! Help me out here!" Yuu begged.

"Why? She's made it clear she doesn't want us here as much as we don't want to be here. Besides, it's nice for a change to have someone who's strong willed, unlike our fangirls" Ruka said. The others—besides Yuu—nodded in agreement.

"So it's settled, she's our new plaything" Akira concluded. "I wonder how long it will take to break her" he mused out. Yuu was on the verge of hyper venting. This was not good. Not good at all!

_Let the game begin. _

…………………………**..**

**Karin: Done! So there you have it folks! Mikan's new family makes their appearance. Poor Mikan, just what is she in for? **

**Natsume: You used your time to write THAT? You would've been better off goofing off instead. **

**Karin: Shut up you! Anyway, so be kind enough to leave a review for me please. **

**See ya next time! **


	4. Of Schools and Schemes

Karin: Hey guys

**Karin: Hey guys! Have no idea when this computer is leaving so in the meantime until my parents get the exact date, I'm updating very fast. **

**Natsume: Still have no idea when exactly you're parting with the computer?**

**Karin: My mom said it will be sometime over the summer when I last asked her. However, I was assuming it was going to be right away because she was complaining about the computer the other day. **

**Natsume: Oh well, just wait and see. **

**Title: **Family Complex

**Rating: **Teen

**Genres: **Humor/Drama/Family/Friendship/Romance

**Pairings: **Mikan/multiple, Koko/Sumire, Narumi/Yuka

**Summary: **Mikan's life wasn't perfect, but she was contented… until her love-struck mother comes bursting into the apartment and claims she getting remarried! Now living with her future step father and future step brothers in her small apartment causes her life to make distract changes. Can Mikan survive all this change and pompous assholes for brothers or will she surrender and let them all become a family while changing them as well?

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Gakuen Alice, but I do own this plot so no stealing! Nyah!

**Replies to Reviews from Chapter Three: **

**Fluffypenguinscandy- **As stated in the author's notes, I have no idea because my mom does not give me details like I want her to. I was really touched that you reviewed even though you were sick. I hope you get better and stay healthy.

**K0nek0- **I'm pleased you're enjoying yourself. Doritos for you!

**Blizzel- **Yes, I wasn't very happy about doing that but for future purposes, I decided that it's for the best. But like you stated, he'll be there on Fridays so it's all good. You'll just have to keep reading to find out what happens (smiles).

**Ai-Chi- **I'm happy to know that Koko is a well liked character in this. A lot of people seemed to be a fan of Mikan and Koko's relationship.

**Lisettesakura- **Don't worry, Koko is definitely coming back. He's too much of a popular character in this to go away.

**Yuuka Tanari- **It makes me happy to know that readers like the character's personality. To be honest, I wanted to make someone else Mikan's friend besides Hotaru. While I do love their friendship I wanted to try something new.

**Lucia096- **A lot of people like this story. I didn't think that it would be popular when I was first typing it.

**Music of the Heart- **Go crazy no longer! Here's the next update!

**Animeaddict.7- **Mikan's a tough girl. I'm sure she'll get through it somehow… or not.

**-Kradraven—**Yes, they are extremely hot! Like I stated in the other replies above, Koko is a really popular character. I'm shocked that so many people like him in this story.

**Niceladysakura- **I read your questions and I will answer them now and also in this chapter so everyone else will be clued in. The answer to your first question is: Their house is under renovations. The second answer is: I don't know, but the subject will be brought up later in the story. And finally, your third answer is: Mikan already goes to a public school so I'm assuming you meant private school; and you'll just have to read this chapter to find out. I hope that cleared everything up for you.

**Dominiqueanne- **Glad that you continue to enjoy this story.

**HolyCatty- **thanks for the support. It warmed my heart that you wish me good luck with this story.

**BnWhites- **Yes, poor poor unfortunate souls (cues the Disney song from the Little Mermaid).

**Pukite- **It's not like Koko _wanted _to leave her with the seven demons from hell, but he did have to; he'll come back though (grins). And about Sumire, she's going to appear soon. I'm going to have her mean at first, but she'll turn to the good side like in the Gakuen Alice series.

………………………**..**

**Family Complex**

**Chapter Four**

**Of Schools and Schemes**

**-**

**-**

**-**

"Ugh, I hate getting up early" Mikan muttered as she climbed out of bed. It was a school day and that meant no sleeping in no matter how much Mikan detested that rule. However, if getting up early meant meeting the guys at the Wawa to get a breakfast sandwich, then she would do it.

She changed into baggy blue jeans and an oversized purple t-shirt with a long sleeve brown shirt with the sleeves a little past her elbows under it. She placed on her trademark navy baseball cap on her head in the same style she did last night. Her hair in the usual ponytail through the back hole. For finishing touches, she tied her sneakers on and grabbed her beaten up dark brown backpack with multiple key chains that Koko had given her for Christmas each year.

"Hey," Mikan greeted when she walked into the dinning-room/living-room. She noticed that everyone else was already dressed and eating. Yuka looked at her with a smile.

"Ohayo, Mikan. How did you sleep?" she asked kindly.

"Fine. Gotta go meet the guys down at the Wawa and head to school" she said and prepared to head out the door. That is, until her mother called her back.

"Actually, Mikan," Yuka began nervously causing Mikan to raise an eyebrow under the shadows of her navy cap. She waited patiently for her mother to continue, but she really wanted that breakfast sandwich.

"..You're not going to school" Yuka finished out. Now Mikan was really confused.

"What are you talking about, Mom?" Mikan asked. "You know the drill; I get up early, I get dressed, I go to retrieve my _free_—"she emphasized that part—"breakfast sandwich and head off to school, which starts at 7:15, and it's now 6:45" Mikan told her as if she was telling her mother who believed the world was flat was indeed round.

"You see, that's the thing, sweetheart" Yuka told her, "You don't go to that school anymore, we transferred you last night" Yuka explained.

"WHAT?!" Mikan exclaimed in outrage. Her chocolate eyes lit with fire under her cap.

"She said you don't go to that stinking public school anymore, little girl" Natsume told her, "Are you deaf or something?"

"Shut up, asshole!" Mikan snared out. She then turned back to her mother, "Why don't I go there anymore?! I'm pretty sure I didn't get expelled unless the guys dragged me down with them" Mikan said in a skeptical tone while crossing your arms.

"Well, you'll get a better education and environment at Alice Academy" Yuka replied.

"Wait, hold up here!" Mikan interrupted her, "You're… sending me to a prep school?" she asked in disbelief. Yuka gave her a stern look.

"Mikan, don't be rude! Your brothers all go to Alice Academy and it's got a wonderful reputation" Yuka reprimanded her offspring.

Mikan's eyes swept over all seven boys before looking at Yuka with an eyebrow twitching.

"They're wearing uniforms" she dead panned.

"Yes, Mikan-chan, private schools invoke uniforms" Narumi spoke for the first time that morning. "Of course, yours hasn't come in yet, but Alice Academy's uniform policy is to prevent children from exploiting themselves in a vulgar way" Narumi explained in a happy tone. Even if Mikan's clothes weren't exploiting, a lot of kids in her school do have exploiting materials of clothing.

"Freedom of expression" Mikan simply replied with her arms still crossed. "No offense, but I'll take being different and being with my friends than a good education with stuck up smucks" she retorted in a calm threatening voice.

"That's enough!" Yuka scolded her daughter. "You'll be leaving with the boys after breakfast is finished. I don't want to hear another word out of you!" Yuka told her.

Deciding to let it slide for now—she would bring it up again later for sure—Mikan shrugged her shoulders and plopped herself on the couch waiting. She would get her sandwich on the way, she told herself.

_Great, I'm going to a private school and the guys will probably get killed in school, _Mikan thought in a depressing manner. Her boys had the biggest tendencies to get into trouble when Mikan wasn't keeping them in line. Poor Mochu; he's navigationally challenged and Mikan always had to lead him to class since they have all the same classes together. And poor Kitsuneme who can't keep his mouth shut and will probably get shoved into a trash can by guys twice his size. And Koko—despite him not being in school at the moment—had always had the tendency to disrupt the class with his pranks and will probably get twice the amount of detentions he usually gets (A/n: I'm navigationally challenged too. I get lost a lot).

Ah yes, her boys were doomed.

"God, when was the last time you took a shower?" Akira said all of a sudden. Everyone turned their attention to Mikan who came out of her daze to glare at him. So what if she hadn't bathed in two days. She smelled perfectly fine thank you very much!

"Are you sure the bad odor isn't your ego?" Mikan snapped back.

"Mikan, please go take a shower" Yuka requested. She heard Mikan let out a low growl, but complied. Obviously, she was in a sulking mood and would cuss them off in her head all the while.

The family went back to eating not noticing the panicky Yuu or the little smirks on the male offsprings' faces. Even little Youichi was smiling in glee.

All of a sudden, they heard a shriek coming from the bathroom.

**--**

Mikan—in her regular attire from this morning—hugged herself to keep her shivers in check. Her teeth chattered as she bit into her lukewarm breakfast sandwich that Kitsuneme's dad had given her (Kitsuneme's dad owns a Wawa which is why she gets free breakfast sandwiches).

She glared at the opposing males in front of her as they walked to the bus stop cussing them silently all the while.

The damn bastards used all the hot water making it colder than the artic ocean when Mikan used it. Her body was so cold; she kept rubbing her arms for warmth.

"Assholes" Mikan muttered out. Yuu had apologized to her continuously for his brothers' behavior, but Mikan just waved it off saying it was their fault, not his. They were almost to the bus stop now. Almost to her new nightmare—private school.

It's not like she didn't know about the great reputation of Alice Academy. It was one of the most prestigious schools in the world going from kindergarten to college since 1866. Many great people studied at Alice Academy and became great successes throughout history.

But it just wasn't Mikan. She was perfectly fine with her education. Perfectly fine with her school. Sure, it _was_ still a school and she could only love it to an extent, but it was a place where her and her boys could be themselves and not worry about the social hierarchy: Mochu, Kitsuneme, Koko, and her. The three musketeers with an addition as they called themselves.

But in private schools, there was nothing but social status. She remembered when she was younger and walked by a private school with Koko. The kids were cruel and selfish. It pissed her off so much that popularity was more important than friendship. That's why the three musketeers and one addition decided never to go to a private school or never let their children go. Private schools took away the greatness of friendship.

(A/n: Okay, going to interrupt here for a second. I'm not just basing all this stuff on private schools' stereotypes. I actually did go to a private school for most of my school life and this was how it was. So if you actually do go to a private school, I mean no offense to you. I'm sure your school is perfectly fine. However, in this story, Alice Academy is based off both private school stereotypes and my own private school's behavior towards each other)

The bus pulled up as soon as they finished their trek. They each boarded with Mikan getting in last. Her mind was still in her thoughts until she felt a hand pull her back.

Mikan noticed that it was the bus driver. He gestured to the coin slot making Mikan turn pale.

Crap; she had to pay a fee.

"Kuso" she cussed under her breath and fished into her pockets ignoring the cruel smirks from her so called brothers. The driver looked impatient all the while as well as the other passengers. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Yuu was looking for spare change as well. "Do you take I.O.U.s?" she asked him.

"Sorry kid, it's either pay now or walk" he told her. Mikan's sharp eyes then caught him looking at her half-eaten breakfast sandwich with hungry eyes. Her stomach protested, but what choice did she have?

"I have a breakfast sandwich" Mikan offered him. On the outside, she was the image of calm, but inside she was screaming to kill something.

"Is it bacon or sausage?" he asked her.

"Sausage, half-eaten, lukewarm" she replied giving him the specifics. He nodded and took it. Mikan made her way to the back of the bus away from the other people and those devils that indirectly cost her her breakfast.

Nevertheless, as she walked past their smug aura, she whispered loud enough for them to hear.

"I hope you sleep with one eye open. I just might come and kill you when you least expect it" she whispered in a dark voice. When you mess with Mikan and her breakfast, you pay.

The bus started moving again as Mikan settled herself in the long back seat. She used her backpack to keep her back up while she put her legs up on the seat. _Inkheart _by Cornelia Funke was plopped in her lap with her arms rested under her legs to keep them propped up.

_Inkheart _was Mikan's favorite book of all. The story of a girl named Meggie Folchart and her father Mortimer—or Mo, as Meggie affectionately calls him—must run away from an evil villain that Mo had read out by accident from a book called "Inkheart" many years ago. The evil villain, Capricorn, wants Mo to be his personal reader who reads things he desires out of books. Some being gold and a dangerous creature called the Shadow.

The plot and characters were very captivating to Mikan. Her favorites were Mo and Dustfinger the fire eater. The way he controlled fire was memorizing. It was as if she was actually watching and feeling the fire dance for Dustfinger every time she read a passage in which he used fire to do his bidding.

Another thing Mikan adored was the father-daughter bond that Mo and Meggie had. It reminded her so much of her and her father. He was so much like Mo. At times, Mikan would find herself imagining that her father was Mo and she was Meggie. She imagined what their relationship would be like if he was still alive. Of course, after she did that, it filled her with sorrowful longing because she knew it would never come true.

_Pops would've liked this book very much, _Mikan felt a smile come to her face when she thought that. Yes, he definitely would enjoy a book like _Inkheart_.

Unconsciously, Mikan began fiddling with the silver chain around her neck. She always kept it hidden under her shirt, but at times when she didn't realize it, she began fiddling with it. The silver chain was thin and in perfect condition along with the small oval shape silver locket, with a small garnet at the tip, on it despite being worn constantly for twelve years. Unlike her cap, she never allowed anyone to touch this. It was always around her neck.

Suddenly, Mikan was torn away from her thoughts when she felt the bus jerk to a stop. Seeing that her companions have risen up, she too gathered her things and clambered off the bus placing the trinket under her shirt once more.

Once Mikan had finally directed her attention to the educational institution, her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets.

_I-It's frickin huge! _Her mind screamed. And true to her thoughts, Alice Academy was indeed frickin huge. The campus was littered with hundreds of kids talking. The building behind them across the wide courtyard with a fountain in the middle was probably the size of down town Tokyo! Everything on the campus from the students to the building screamed class!

It was then that Mikan noticed the uniforms for the first time. The boys were wearing black slacks with dark red blazers buttoned up. Under the blazers were a white polo shirt and a black tie. Their shoes ranged from sneakers to the proper black dress shoes. On the left breast pocket was the Alice Academy insignia (A/n: just picture the Ouran High School Host Club boys' uniform except with dark red blazers).

As for the girls' uniforms, their blazers were black buttoned with dark red plaid skirts. Mikan's eye made a twitch when she noticed they were kind of short for her liking. They also had black ties and a white blouse. Finally, their socks were either up to their knees, the middle of their shin, or a couple inches past their knee with black penny loafers. The Alice Academy insignia on their left breast pocket of their blazer.

_Uniforms, damn it all, _Mikan thought dreading the thought of being the same as everyone else. It disgusted her to be the same. She loved variety and being one person instead of one unit. It reminded her of a dictatorship. That thought made her shiver.

"Oi, little girl" Mikan turned from her horrible thoughts on dictatorship to see Natsume glaring at her. Wait. He always glares. Nevermind.

"While we're here, I'm laying down some ground rules for you" he told her. She nodded telling him to continue while trying to keep her thoughts from tuning him out. It might be something important. He held up one finger and began.

"One: we're not acknowledging you at all—"he held up another finger—"Two: Don't tell people we live together under any circumstance—"_why would I want to? _Mikan thought—"Third: don't ask us for help. You're on your own here. Got it?" he asked her.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night" she told him shrugging. She noticed that he wasn't wearing his uniform correctly since his tie and collar were loose. The same with Tsubasa, but she didn't comment since that's probably how they liked it. She knew she would do something like that too since she wasn't one for being neat and tidy when it came to clothes. Hint: she's a lazy slob who puts on what's comfortable rather than what's in these days.

"Good" he gave her a smirk and patted her head for good measure. It was clear he was mocking her small stature by doing that causing Mikan's eye to twitch.

"If you refer to me as small, I swear I will make you female" Mikan told him bluntly with a tone of warning.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night" he told her repeating her earlier phrase. He stopped patting her head and turned to walk away with Ruka, Youichi, and Yuu. "Ja ne, youjo" he said.

_Note to self: raven haired bastard likes to mock my smallness, _Mikan told herself as she placed a head on her head while the other clutched her backpack strap. Deciding to go to the administration office, Mikan made her journey towards the building ignoring the giggles and snickers about her "commoner's clothes".

**--**

Checking herself in had been relatively easy. The receptionist was very nice and made good small talk with her as she brought up her papers. Obviously the woman was of commoner status like Mikan and had no qualms about chatting with her. Her schedule and map of the school was in her hand as she searched for her Homeroom class.

Mikan's walk was stopped when a loud grumble came from her stomach. She shushed it before continuing on hoping that it wouldn't be like that during class. That would be a very bad impression on her first day.

After a few minutes, Mikan stopped in front of an elegant wooden door. Above the door was a sign that said "1-B" meaning that this was her homeroom. With that thought in mind, Mikan opened the door and walked in.

Consequently, as soon as she caught sight of what was inside, she wondered if she stepped into some parallel universe.

Inside all the teenagers of Class B were causing the biggest ruckus Mikan's ever seen. Hell, even her own rowdy class can't compare. Paper airplanes flew, endless loud chatter, and some kids were listening to the most vulgar music while dancing suggestively on the desks.

All the while, the teacher at the front reminded her of a lot of Yuu. The glasses and the timidness was a sure resemblance. Plus the fact that no one's listening to him at all.

Speaking of the mouse, there was her future step-brother Yuu trying to calm the catastrophic called a classroom down. He was having the same success rate as the teacher in the front—which was none.

Mikan blinked a couple of time before pulling slightly on the bill of her cap muttering "I've been banished to the land of noisy morons who can't keep certain things to themselves" referring to the inappropriate display of what they call dancing. Again, her class—whom she thought was the most racket causing before this—were more discreet and actually had good rhythm. "God, get a room" she said trying not to puke.

Deciding that it was time to make her presence known, she approached the poor teacher and handed him her note. His frazzled eyes read over the paper and then went back to trying to get the class's attention. His failed attempts only caused Mikan's annoyance to rise.

Finally deciding she had enough, she approached the chalk board and placed her nails on it. Without warning or an explanation to what she was doing, she pulled her nails down.

_SSSSCCCCCCCCRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCHHHHHHH!!_

"OW!!" Everyone in the classroom clamped their hands on their ears to block the horrible sound. Once Mikan saw that everyone had ceased their earlier activities to cover their ears, she stopped scrapping the chalkboard. (A/n: don't try that)

"Proceed" she told the teacher. For a moment, she experienced déjà vu since this is what she did every morning in her own homeroom to get them to shut up. In her school, it wasn't stop what you're doing when the bell rings, it's stop what you're doing when Mikan scrapes her nails on the chalkboard.

Ah yes, good times, good times.

"Erm, yes, alright then" he said in shock. He then cleared his throat and turned towards the class. "Um, this is our new student, Sakura Mikan. Please make her feel welcome" he told them. He then turned to Mikan and told her to sit in the back.

As Mikan passed, whispers and stares followed her. It wasn't until she was at the end of the isle before she held up her hand and stated.

"If you continue to grate on my nerves then I'll be more than happy to scrape the chalk board again" that shut them up.

Once she reached her seat, the teacher began attendance. From the wary look on his face, he's never done attendance with his classroom quiet. Mikan just ignored the stares—and glares from most of the females in her class, she noted—and laid her head down in her arms on the desk. Boredom was apparent in her half-lidded eyes under her cap as well as the small frown on her face.

_Thank Kami-sama I'm in the very back, _she thought. She didn't bother to look to see who her seat mates were since they weren't bothering her, instead choosing to stare out the window to pass her time.

"Hyuuga Natsume?" the teacher called. This caught Mikan's attention. She didn't recall seeing her raven haired brother here.

_Well, he's not really the talkative type, _she reminded herself. Natsume did strike her as someone anti-social and didn't really get involved in useless matters like gossip. He was intent on denying her existence as much as she was denying his. As if he didn't' want to believe that she appeared into his life. _Fine with me, _she told herself mentally shrugging.

"He's sleeping sensei" Ruka replied his voice sounding near. The girls in their class went "Kyaa!" loudly. Mikan's eyes widened when she inconspicuously turned to her right and saw she was sitting next to a sleeping Natsume with a manga on his face and his feet propped up on the desk, and Ruka sitting beside him. The teacher nodded, not at all angry about the raven haired boy's behavior, and continued on.

_So their last name's Hyuuga, _Mikan thought. This was the first time she heard the surname of her new family. They never did tell her when they introduced themselves.

"Nogi Ruka?" the teacher asked.

"Hai" Ruka answered. Girls were watching him and Natsume like a piece of meat causing Mikan to mentally shiver. Obviously they were something Mikan would avoid.

"Sakura Mikan?"

"Hai" she said sleepily. Being in homeroom with nothing to do was so boring! Usually Koko, Kitsuneme, and Mochu kept her up, but since they weren't here, her tiredness was kicking in from getting up early. Did she mention she hated getting up early?

"Tobita Yuu?"

"H-hai" he stuttered.

_Wait! _Mikan's brain snapped awake. She recited the three names in her head a couple of times before it finally dawned on her. _They all have different last names! _She yelled in her head surprised.

Why in the world would they have different last names? They were brothers, right? So why did they have different surnames? Was it the same for the rest of them as well? Mikan was thoroughly confused.

Deciding that it wasn't important after a few minutes, Mikan chose to go back to staring out the window with her head down. She had math next. Ugh; she hated math. It was her worst subject.

Once the teacher had finished attendance, the students went back to socializing, but nothing extreme like what Mikan saw when she stepped in. Mikan just tuned them out as she waited patiently for the bell to ring.

However, her patience died very quickly due to the irritation of this morning's events.

"When is the going to end?" Mikan groaned to herself. She was annoyed and just wanted the day to be over with. She was already sick of Alice Academy. It was so boring!

"Shut up, little girl" a voice beside her muttered. Mikan turned her head in her arms to face the irate look of Hyuuga Natsume. Completely out of her character—must be from lack of food in her stomach, she told herself—she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Real mature" he told her sarcastically as he discreetly flicked the bill of her baseball cap.

"I thought you weren't acknowledging me" she reminded him with a raised eyebrow.

"It's hard to ignore someone as annoying as you" he replied going back to read his manga. "Although, I guess if we were standing, it would be easy to ignore you because of your height" he said turning a page a frown on his face the whole time.

"You like reminding me about our height difference, don't you?" she asked out as she raised her head to be eyelevel with him. He didn't answer but she knew it was true since so far since they met, he's been calling her little girl. "I wonder, should I give you a nickname, too?" she asked him.

His crimson eyes looked at her in question before going back to reading.

"I mean, you've been calling me little girl since we met," she explained, "shouldn't I call you something then?" she asked letting out an amused smile.

"He's been insulting you" Ruka pointed out in a mutter. He had a sweat drop on the back of his head. Mikan just shrugged it off. After a period of silence, Mikan went back to laying her head in her arms.

"I changed my mind, giving you a nickname would be weird" she said. She nestled herself deeper into her arms. "You'll just be Hyuuga-san and Nogi-san" she told them quietly.

**--**

Sakura Mikan, dead at age fifthteen; cause of death: Math.

That would probably be the best way to describe her near death mind as she sat in math. It turned out that Natsume and Ruka were also in this class. Yuu was in a different math period.

Oh, and isn't it just her luck that she's seated beside the Hyuuga boy once more. For people who want to ignore each other, Kami-sama seemed to enjoy putting them together. Currently, they were seated in the very last row in the middle instead of on the left of the room near the windows.

It was so hard to keep her eyes open. It wasn't the teacher—although, he did seem boring—math just naturally bored her. And the fact that it's first period didn't help much.

"Sakura-san" the teacher got her attention. She raised her head to look at him giving him her attention. Some of the kids were snickering at the possibility of her getting in trouble. No one got past Jinno-sensei when it came to discipline.

"I realize that you haven't gotten your uniform so I'll let that slide; however, the hat has to go" he told her in a commanding voice.

Mikan pointed to her cap, deciding to play dumb. At his nod, she prepared to defend her right to wear her cap. Her teachers never had a problem with it in her old school. It didn't block anyone's vision; she paid good attention, and received good grades. The cap was allowed in her teachers' minds.

"Sensei, I'm sorry, but this cap is very important to me" she replied. Maybe she could try the sympathy card. "I have to wear it for the sake of a precious memory" okay, that part was laid on thick. Sure, it was precious, but she loved wearing it too. It would be weird if she took it off. It was apart of her like her necklace.

"Off" he told her. Mikan's eyes narrowed.

"I have a condition" she told him going to the medical defense. She and Koko had made up all these excuses on their free time. She would use every single one if she had to.

"Nice try; off" he said sternly. Damn. She was sure that one would've worked.

After a few more attempts, Mikan sighed in frustration.

"It's not bothering anyone" she told him while crossing her arms. "I'm in the back so it's not in anyone's way nor does it impale my attention or grades, sensei" she decided to go with the logical reasoning. She was not going to take off her cap!

"Rules are rules Sakura-san! Either take it off or receive detention!" he told her finally letting her have it. The students looked at her in glee. Obviously this was payback to her for hurting their ears in homeroom.

"She's hiding her ugly face" Natsume finally spoke up. People let out a gasp. Either from the fact that Natsume was actually helping someone or Natsume just spoke at all, they couldn't tell. "Isn't that enough?" he asked the teacher daring him to object.

"…Fine" Jinno finally let out. "As long as it doesn't distract or disrupt, you can wear your cap" he told Mikan. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. She was prepared to start War World III in about ten seconds if Natsume didn't say something. She was so happy that she disregarded that Natsume had called her ugly.

"Thanks" she muttered. He deserved that much for saving her right of wearing her cap. Maybe her brothers weren't so bad after all, she admitted begrudgingly.

"Why? I was just telling the truth. Who would want to see your ugly face?" he replied back.

Screw that last thought!

"Why you—!" Mikan snared out as she grabbed his collar. Her self-restraint flew out the window as she stood up grabbing her step-brother's collar prepared to beat the crap out of him.

"Enough! Sit down or have detention, Sakura-san!" Jinno-sensei ordered.

"Ugly" Natsume muttered out.

"THAT'S IT!!"

**--**

Detention for a week, Mikan repeated in her head. Stupid Hyuuga-san! It was his entire fault. Cold shower, half-eaten breakfast, getting detention, he and his demon brothers are to blame!

Ruka had persuaded Jinno-sensei to let Natsume off with a warning. He claimed Natsume—who was at the time pounced on by Mikan—was the victim in Mikan's rage.

_Victim my ass! He started it! _Mikan thought with a growl. She was now sitting in history. Luckily no one had this class with her so she was free to cuss them off in peace. History was one of Mikan's favorite subjects. She especially loved the middle ages and ancient civilizations. History was sure to take her mind off things.

Plus, the teacher let her wear her cap without complaint. Brownie points to them.

**--**

"Yo" Reo greeted her when she walked in the classroom. Other students were there. She noticed that girls were staring at him the same way they stared at Natsume and Ruka. It was probably the same with all the others, Mikan noted. They _were_ good-looking after all.

"You know, you guys aren't doing a good job in not acknowledging me" Mikan pointed out as she took a seat in the back away from Reo.

Having a love for books paid off. Mikan was gifted when it came to English. The school had bumped her up to third year English instead of keeping her in first year English. In addition, her motivation in the subject was phenomenal since it was her favorite subject. Her English teacher in her old school prided her as her favorite student.

"Oh, you mean what Natsume said this morning, right?" he asked her seating himself in the desk in front of her while sitting in the chair backwards to face her. "I think you might've misunderstood, chibi" he told her poking the front of her cap where her forehead was covered.

"We won't acknowledge you as a person" he explained. At this, Mikan raised an eyebrow at that statement.

"I'm afraid I don't follow" she told him. Reo gave her a smirk as the bell then rang. Giving her head a pat, he headed back to his desk leaving Mikan to her thoughts.

Their toy was smart, but dense, he noted amused.

**--**

As for the rest of the day, it remained uneventful. Mikan didn't have anymore trouble since most of her classes didn't have any of her brothers in them to which she was grateful for. However, there was still one problem: detention.

It's not like Mikan didn't have detention before. She got detention a couple of times for her and her boys' shenanigans, but having detention now would ruin her plans of getting back to her old school.

"I'm walking" she told Yuu who was waiting for her to board the bus. He asked her in concern why she wasn't boarding to which she gestured to her empty pockets with a sheepish smile. With one last worried look, Yuu had left her to her thoughts and walk home.

The weather was great for a walk anyway. The sky was a beautiful orange shade and the sun was slowly setting on the horizon as Mikan neared the apartment. The quiet streets of downtown Tokyo were peaceful to her troubled mind.

Now, the reason why Mikan was so late in coming home today was because she had stopped at Kitsuneme's dad's Wawa. As she suspected, she would find the boy working and decided to pitch in as she poured out her problems to him. His dad welcomed her help as well as her friend. Nonetheless, the two couldn't figure out a plan until Kitsuneme's dad purposed something.

"Make a bargain with your mother" he told Mikan. "Tell her that if you behave yourself and get good grades for a certain amount of time, you get to return to your old school" he suggested.

"I got detention" she replied with a deadpan. Her cap was switched backwards with her hair in a low ponytail and she wore a Wawa smock as she worked to make a sandwich for a customer.

"What if you tell your mom you got a job?" Kitsuneme told her with a grin. "You get out of school at 2:15, right? And your detention stops at 4:00. Just come here after it and work for a bit and then go home" he explained to her.

"I'll even pay you to work a couple of hours" his dad told her smiling. Kitsuneme and Mochu's parents loved the girl to bits. They thought of her and Koko as their own and would help them in anyway.

"I could use the money" Mikan said remembering the bus this morning. "Alright, it's a deal"

So, that was it. Mikan would fib saying she was working at the Wawa from three to eight instead of actually working from five to eight. And when detention was over, she would actually work from three to eight like expected. It was as if she never had dention in the first place.

It was the best plan yet!

**--**

"You always get good grades, Mikan" Yuka told her sternly. They were currently in Yuka's bedroom as her and Narumi were lying in their bed in their nightclothes. Mikan, with her cap back front wards again with the ponytail through the hole, was wearing her normal clothes too busy rehearsing the plan and doing her homework to change. "Besides, you can't have a job; it will get in the way of your studies"

"No it won't!" Mikan protested. "I'll keep up my grades and do my job. I can handle it Mom; I'm fifthteen now!" she told her.

"Hold on Yuka" Narumi spoke out as he saw Yuka was about to decline. "Now, let's give Mikan-chan a chance here" he suggested.

"Like what?" the females questioned.

"Well, we thought it was fair that Mikan-chan had the same education as the boys since we're all living the same way, but maybe we should consider her feelings as well" Narumi told Yuka.

"I think that we should give Mikan-chan one month to prove her point" he explained. "If she gets straight A's on the upcoming exams with good behavior and keeps up at her job, she can continue to keep the job and go back to her old school as she wishes" Narumi finished happily.

Mikan was about to agree when Narumi continued.

"_But_," he stressed out letting her know she had a condition, "If you do not get straight A's or have good behavior, you have to continue to go to the academy without complaint. No fussing and no whining" he said.

"What about the job?" Yuka asked him.

"It depends if we come down to that road" Narumi replied. Both females nodded in understanding.

"Yes, I'll do it!" Mikan agreed right away. Yuka looked between them and sighed.

"One month" she said. Mikan gave her a hug and surprisingly a high five to Narumi. She could praise the man for convincing her mother of the deal.

With that said, Mikan walked out of Yuka's room with a bounce in her step. She could do this! She cheered in her head. Just as long as she stayed on top of her game and played it cool, she was going to get back to her old school life.

She peaked around the wall where she saw all the males sleeping. With a smirk, she whispered to them smugly

"One month then I'm out of your school for good" she then went back to her room and shut the door prepared to get a good nights' sleep.

What Mikan didn't know though, was that the devils weren't asleep at all.

Her earlier statement put them off. They had convinced their father that Mikan should go to their school because they had to live here until their house renovations are done. It was only fair, they told him. They also added that they wanted to bond with her for good measure in winning the agreement.

But now that she was leaving, their plans on torturing their toy were flushed down the drain to China. That wasn't fun at all. How were they supposed to break her if they didn't see her most of the day?

One month, she said. She had one month to change Narumi and Yuka's minds. They came to the conclusion that their toy needed to be punished for her disobedience in trying to get out of the game.

Trying to leave the game, now that just wouldn't do.

…………………………**.**

**Karin: Okay, 18 pages. I hope that chapter satisfied you guys. Sometimes I make them long, sometimes I make them short so don't expect really long chapters every time, okay? **

**Natsume: This chapter was pointless. **

**Karin: You're just saying that because you got pounced on by someone almost half your size. **

**Natsume: What? I was only telling the truth.**

**Karin: How do you know she's ugly if you never seen her face clearly? **

**Natsume: Why else would she constantly wear a cap?**

**Karin: Because she likes her cap! **

**Natsume: I'm sticking to my excuse. **

**Karin: Ahem, anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter and I was wondering that in a few more chapters, I should hold a character popularity contest for this story. It's just a thought now so no one vote yet, but I would like to do it in a couple of chapters when the characters are more explored and stuff. Hope you leave a review for me. **

**See ya next time! **


	5. Of Friends and Fangirls

Karin: Woah

**Karin: Woah! 61 reviews for this story so far. That's a lot due to the fact that this story has only four chapters so far. I was actually expecting to get only five reviews. I usually don't expect much since my writing self-esteem isn't so good. **

**Natsume: You should've seen her face when she saw the number. She was going "Holy crap; Holy crap; Holy crap" so on and so forth. Her expression was hilarious. **

**Karin: **_**(blushing from embarrassment) **_**...It wasn't that funny…**

**Natsume: says the person who was making the expression. **

**Karin: **_**(sticks out tongue) **_**Nyah! **

**Natsume: Lame comeback. **

**Karin: So anyway, thanks for all the reviews and support. I'm very happy to see that this story is enjoyed by lots of people. I hope to continue to wow you with this story. **

**Title: **Family Complex

**Rating: **Teen

**Genres: **Humor/Drama/Family/Friendship/Romance

**Pairings: **Mikan/multiple, Koko/Sumire, Yuka/Narumi

**Summary: **Mikan's life wasn't perfect, but she was contented… until her love-struck mother comes bursting into the apartment and claims she getting remarried! Now living with her future step father and future step brothers in her small apartment causes her life to make distract changes. Can Mikan survive all this change and pompous assholes for brothers or will she surrender and let them all become a family while changing them as well?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gakuen Alice, but I do own a 30 pack of chicken flavored ramen.

**NOTE: I'm changing the girls' uniform ties from black to dark red. I just decided this out of the blue so please excuse my randomness. **

**Replies to Reviews from Chapter Four: **

**HolyCatty- **thank you. I love Inkheart too. I'm glad there are others who enjoy that book.

**Blizzel- **Well, my fingers don't fall off, but they do whine and say "Stop making us do all this labor!". I think it's easy for me to write the evilness of the brothers because I'm a little bit cruel myself, or at least that's what my mom and some friends say in good humor.

**Chris3169512- **A lot of people love the Mikan/Koko relationship, which makes me glad I wrote them together. I always thought Mikan and Koko had chemistry to be best friends. Although, I just wrote a oneshot about them being a couple. It's called "Unexpected" and I'm very proud of it. And about the document, they only did a few droplets in blood. I think they would faint from blood loss if they wrote the whole thing in blood (sweat drop). I also agree that the step-brothers are mean (except Yuu) even though I wrote it. But then again, if they weren't then this story would be without a certain flare in my opinion. And thanks for voting up the popularity contest; I believe I am going to do that sometime later in the story.

**Ambz-chan- **I was actually planning on putting Tsubasa in this chapter. I'm happy to see that others want this as well.

**BnWhites- **thank you for the encouragement. Seriously, I really did think that this story wouldn't be well liked at all. The fact that it's enjoyed by so many warms my heart.

**Xxbabyxox- **Koko WILL come back. Even if I have to drag him back! Don't worry, Mikan is a tough girl. Happy to see people rooting for her.

**Yuuka Tanari- **Never heard of that before. The two private schools I went to made us wear uniforms so I wouldn't know about that. Well, for now, Mikan gets to wear her boyish clothes since it would be weird if she started dressing up as a girl. I could just imagine what apocalypse that would cause.

**UnbornHope- **I grin like an idiot too. I also have these really dumb moments and refer to myself as a dumbass to which my friends tell me to stop putting myself down. Then I reply "What? You want me to become all conceited and believe I'm right ALL the time! Being a dumbass is fun! I get to use it as an excuse when I do something stupid—meaning most of the time". Yep, those are good memories. Glad you enjoy my writing and hope you continue to enjoy it.

**K0nek0- **Well, her breakfast was swiped from her grasps. Ever hear of that phrase "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"? In this case, that could probably be Mikan's motto… aside from "Don't let Koko have Starbucks or else it will be the end of you". He can't have coffee, heheh.

**-kradraven-- **yes, Mikan will take her cap off sooner or later. I'm not going to make her overly beautiful in this story, but not ugly either. She'll be adorable and cute! (Squeezes Mikan plushie)

**Lisettesakura- **I would have to say that they don't like her is because they don't like the fact that their lives are changing as well. It's also the fact that she's poor and they don't want to be related to a poor person. And they think of her as a toy is because she's poor—they naturally believe that poor people are not people—and she's different from all the weak willed girls they've come across so it's a nice change for them.

**Pukite- **I think he just wanted to insult her. Natsume is mean like that (Natsume: are you implying something in that statement? Karin:… maybe…). Hmm, I'm going to say the reason why it doesn't seem like they hate Mikan is because they're trying to lure her into a false sense of security or something. However, the punishment will change all of that. They're meanies!

**Fluffypenguinscandy- **Yay! I love cookies! (Gives you a cupcake for the cookie) I gave people inspiration? This is news. Usually I'm giving them a migraine (laughs at myself). I will definitely have Mikan and her boys bonding time in the story. They are just so awesome! The power of friendship! (Sniffle)

**TheElevatorGirl- **I hate chatspeak! It always gives me a headache and it disrupts the flow of reading. I even use proper wording on the few times I go on aim. I can be such a grammar nut when it comes to my stories. I can thank my 8th grade literature teacher for that. Thanks for the support. My computer sends you love.

**Animeaddict.7- **Yes, we can be friends. Hello New Friend (Waves at you)! Well, the brothers won't be good to her right away, but eventually they'll warm up to her.

**Midori-desu- **I can't tell because that would be spoiling, nyah.

**Ai-chi- **Nice joke. That made me laugh when I read it. But no, Mikan will not be ugly; however, she won't be overly beautiful either. She's average and adorable. Her smallness makes her cute too!

**Niceladysakura- **And they will continue to get evil. Meanies. I'm glad that your questions were cleared up. As for the boys evilness—I like saying/typing that word for some strange reason—you'll just have to continue reading to find out what happens (grins). And for the surnames, that will be explained later. It's a mystery for now though hehe.

**Hanna- **I'm not going to make her ugly. However, she's not going to be excessively beautiful either. Mikan is an average and adorable girl.

**Brittney- **hmm, I like that you are guessing. Maybe you're right. Maybe you're wrong. I'm not telling (Cheshire grin).

**JSparkles444- **thanks for the support. I hope the wait wasn't long.

**Lobaa- **Well, we'll see if she fails or not. dun dun dun dun

**Youichiix33- **It pleases me to see that you enjoy this story so far.

**Cutiebear14- **glad you like the story. Oh, and about your question: They haven't seen all of her face, baseball caps have a tendency to cover up the upper part of the face like the forehead, eyes, and most of the nose. So, the boys can only see Mikan's chin, mouth, and part of her nose.

**Starrynight3800- **thanks for not rushing me. It made me very happy to read that. Hope that I didn't make you wait for _too_ long for the update though.

**Fanficlover44- **Sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Konnie- **Sorry, can't tell you now, but you'll just have to keep reading to find out.

………………………**.**

**Family Complex**

**Chapter Five**

**Of Friends and Fangirls**

**-**

**-**

**-**

"Sweet mariachi" Mikan muttered when she opened her window in her bedroom. She had just woke up with her pajamas—which were a white oversized t-shirt and black shorts down to her knees—and her hair in low braids.

The thing that had caught the small girl astounded was the view outside her bedroom room window. The sky was colored in many different shades of pink, orange, and yellow as the sun was rising over the horizon. The clouds thin and tinted a dark pink above the sun. There was only one word to describe it.

"Beautiful" Mikan breathed. She had slipped through the window onto the small fire escape as she watched the captivating site before her. Sometimes you just need to stop and smell the roses, Mikan quoted to herself with a chuckle. A perfect phrase for something as spectacular as this.

She didn't know why she had looked out her window to see the sunrise this particular morning. Maybe it was because her subconscious needed something positive to balance out the constant negatives in her life.

_That's probably the reason, _Mikan thought dryly. After all, she needed some peace in mind for a bit. With her mother getting remarried and her not being an only child anymore, plus she's entered a new school, she didn't know how much sanity she could contain without a break from reality. She hadn't been up to the roof at all last night. She couldn't bring herself to since Koko wasn't there. It just wouldn't be the same without him.

_Koko would've loved to see this, _she mused sadly as she continued to silently watch the sunrise. She prayed that he would come home soon; home to her. She missed him dearly. The streets of downtown Tokyo were peaceful as everything was still in a standstill before everyone wakes up and destroys the serenity of the moment. _Like the stars above, I'm apart of another standstill. I should be grateful to Kami-sama for allowing me to see these beautiful moments, _Mikan told herself.

Mikan was snapped out of her thoughts when her mother called for her. She quietly crept through her window and changed into her clothes for the day: blue baggy jeans and an oversized brown t-shirt with her dark green hoody tied around her waist. Placing her hair in her regular ponytail and trademark cap shadowing the upper part of her face, Mikan exited the sanctums of her room to join reality once more.

**--**

_I should make a note not to take showers in the morning, _Mikan thought grumpily as she once again was consumed in convulsions from her ice cold shower. Curse those devils for letting her fall for that again!

_Stupid, conniving brothers who fool Mom! _Mikan thought with distain. After the second time of dealing with a cold shower, her mother wouldn't believe her that those demons had used all the hot water on purpose. Mikan contained her irritation in the presence of the males to make them believe she didn't care about the shower.

At least the mouse was considerate, Mikan reassured herself. Although, she desperately wanted to tell him to grow a backbone and stand up to his brothers. However, that wasn't her place to tell him that. He needed to find his confidence on his own. It wouldn't be meaningful if she egged him to. So, she decided to be patient with the stuttering, shy fifthteen-year-old.

The bus arrived and each of them boarded. Mikan didn't even bother looking at the bus driver as she handed him her uneaten sandwich from Kitsuneme's Wawa. She didn't say anything at all as she passed her step-brothers unlike yesterday. She was the picture of calm, which her male companions thought odd since she was so angry yesterday. They wondered what was the reason for her silent serenity.

Oh well, it would change soon. They would be sure she would break eventually.

What none of them noticed, however, was that as soon as Mikan got to her usual desolate spot in the back, she pulled out another sandwich that Kitsuneme's dad slipped her before leaving.

**--**

Even when Mikan had seen all of this yesterday, the campus of Alice Academy still awed her. Her eyes were slightly wide as she munched on her sandwich. She wondered how many people and time it took to make this school anyway.

_Look it up on your free time, _she told herself. She took another bite of her sandwich completely ignoring her surroundings. One of her flaws was that she was always too consumed in her thoughts to pay attention to what was going on around her. Yuka often joked that War World II bombs would go off and Mikan wouldn't notice it because she was too engrossed in her thoughts. Unfortunately, it was even worse when Mikan was reading.

She was too much of a deep thinker, she supposed. Her insightfulness was what made up for her lack of awareness to her surroundings when it came to her thoughts. It wasn't her fault she chose to tune out people so she could think clearly. It was just something she developed over the years due to the fact that she had a loud and disruptive class throughout her educational career. It became habitual now.

Consequently, after today, Mikan didn't know whether or not she would like that habit anymore.

She should've known something was up. She should've gone off towards her homeroom right away without dawdling and chewing on her sandwich; albeit a very _good_ sandwich, but still!

Mikan was ripped away from her thoughts when she felt an arm encircle her shoulders. Her eyes flickered to Akira before going back to her sandwich. Akira raised an eyebrow at her behavior. He wasn't used to girls being indifferent to him.

Still, that didn't matter. He wasn't doing this to impress her after all. His eyes flickered to his audience with an inward grin before going back to the little female eating her breakfast.

"Let me have a taste" he told her.

"No" Mikan replied coldly.

"Come on, just one bite" he pleaded flirtatiously that would have any girl blushing.

Any girl besides this one who believed her sandwich was more important than his very existence. So uncute!

Mikan was completely oblivious to the sparks of jealously in the air towards her as she chewed on her sandwich. She was plotting on a way to get this asshole away from her without sacrificing her sandwich.

"Oh, I get it!" Akira said louder than necessary making Mikan wonder if the guy was deaf. "You want me to eat it from your mouth!" he proclaimed loudly.

Without warning, Akira then found himself face-flat on the ground with Mikan walking away towards the school building finishing the last bits of her sandwich and mentally calling him an idiot all the while.

"That is one strong midget" Tsubasa said with a sweat drop "Poor Tono" his sweat drop grew bigger as he observed the oldest brother on the ground moaning in pain. The brothers had watched the whole scene. They were pleased to see that the whole campus had seen Akira—or Tono as everyone refers to him as—approach the petite midget, but they didn't expect her to flip him over her shoulder with no regard for his well-being.

"Oh well, it just works to our advantage" Ruka told them with a smirk.

Truly, these males were the spawns of Lucifer.

**--**

There was something different about homeroom today. It felt… hostile today, Mikan noted. She didn't know nor did she care what was with the dark aura radiating off her classmates, especially the girls, and calmly walked over to her seat.

That is, if her seat wasn't totally destroyed.

Mikan blinked a couple of times as mean snickers went on behind her. Just then, the sensei came in astounded that his class wasn't causing much of a ruckus as they usually did. Instead, all their attentions were on the transfer student who was just blankly staring at her no longer suitable chair.

"Anou, Sakura-san, why aren't you in your seat?" the sensei asked her curiously. Mikan looked at him for a few seconds before replying.

"It seems my chair was hit by a nuclear missile" she replied with a shrug. However, if you looked under the bill of her cap, you would see her sharp eyes glaring at the class. Nonetheless, only the lower part of her face and a little of her nose was the only things people could see.

"O-oh" he stuttered out with a sweat drop. With the way she sounded, he wondered if she was serious or not. "U-um, well, we don't really have anymore chairs. Um—"his nervous speech was interrupted when she swiped a chair from under a student causing them to fall.

"Ah!" the student yelped as he fell on his bottom from the unexpected swiping. He was snickering the most out of all the students which made Mikan suspect that he was one of the culprits for destroying her chair. Sure, it was just a chair, but Mikan tended to be territorial about her things.

Meaning, you don't touch or harm _her _chair or you'll be sent to a clinic.

"Sakura-san!" the teacher exclaimed in shock that she just outright stole someone else's chair from right under them. "I didn't mean steal from someone else!" Again, she just blankly stared at him as the student on the ground groaning in pain was the only sound in the room.

"Kay" she replied. She put down the chair—everyone assumed she carelessly dropped one of the legs on the boy for he yelled "Ow!"—and went up to the teacher's wheely chair at his desk. Without further due, she rolled it back to her desk without batting an eye.

"I didn't mean my chair either!" the teacher scolded her with a disbelieving tone in his voice. How was this girl raised for crying out loud?!

"You didn't want me taking a classmate's chair so I took yours instead" Mikan replied simply. "Besides, you really don't sit in it sensei. You're usually just standing at the podium or standing around" she explained as she looked at him from _her_ chair.

Somehow, he had a feeling he's not getting that chair back.

"E-erm, very well then" he admitted defeat. From the way Sakura-san carried herself, he knew that she didn't take crap from other people whether they liked it or not.

Students began complaining as Mikan took out _Inkheart _and resumed reading. They called her names and said she was getting special treatment. With a sigh and a mutter of everyone being a spoiled moron, Mikan had to resort to dragging her nails down the chalkboard again.

"It's not sensei's fault that my chair was destroyed" Mikan told them sternly and resumed reading to herself. Her two seatmates didn't say anything, but she felt a somewhat smug aura, like her display was contributing to something that would most likely be her downfall.

**--**

Damn. She should've seen it coming a mile away. From left to right she felt glares and sneers staring her down. Plus, what made it worse was the fact that her cap and shoulders were covered in red hot sauce making her stomach growl obnoxiously from hunger.

It was unexpected, but she was pissed at herself for being too laidback. It began when she entered math class. She sat through a whole period of paper balls being thrown at her head and Jinno-sensei blaming her for everyone else's deeds. She didn't defend herself though. She chose instead to sit down and let him scold her repeating to herself in her mind that it was for the sake of the plan. She had to stick to the plan, she told herself.

In her other classes, even without her demon future step-brothers, there was projectile objects thrown at her and other pranks placed on her. The girls were especially vicious.

Oh, and then there was last period which was English, where she walked in and hot sauce was dumped all over her. You would think that the teachers would put a stop to all this nonsense but apparently they were too lazy to get involved. At least her history teacher had spared her for a bit. Again, major brownie points to them.

She would have to say that the hot sauce tidbit was Reo's idea, or at least he hinted at it to his female classmates. She could tell from the fact that he seemed to have figured out she really loves eating and the fact that there's food on her and it's making her hungry is pure torture.

_Aw, well, at least it's lunch, _she thought was a grin. She packed herself some western food today like London broil, mash potatoes, and string beans. Her stomach gave off an approving growl.

Mikan jumped over the foot that stuck out to trip her at the last second. Thank kami-sama these girls were so obvious when they were going to trip someone or else she would find an acquaintance with the floor.

From her earlier downfalls, Mikan noted that the females seemed to be the root of all her misfortunes. This time she doubted that her brothers were the ones pulling all the strings. No, they were the type to not consume themselves with petty tricks. She had a feeling that they let others do that for them.

Finding a spot to sit by herself, Mikan plopped down ungracefully and began to consume her meal. She made a mental thank you to whoever was the one to carry out the hot sauce ploy because it tasted absolutely great with the mash potatoes. (Karin: she scraped the hot sauce off with a napkin and managed to get some on her mash potatoes)

"Anou…. May we sit with you?" a voice asked politely. Mikan looked up to see two girls with long hair—one blue while the other's pink—and blue eyes. She could see the sincerity they radiated and judged them okay.

"Do whatever you want" she replied to them. They gave her a welcoming smile and sat down gracefully unlike Mikan's careless plop. She also could see her detachment was unnerving them for they fidgeted a little before the blue haired girl spoke.

"Um, I'm Ogasawara Nonoko" the blue haired girl with straight hair greeted with a friendly smile.

"And I'm Umenomiya Anna" the pink haired girl with wavy hair chimed in.

"Sakura Mikan" Mikan said. She didn't give them a welcoming smile but she didn't greet them with malice either. It was just a tone of nonchalance and being laidback.

"Mikan-chan is amazing!" Anna praised her. "You haven't even bat an eye with all the pranks those girls played on you" Her eyes were sparkling with admiration.

"Yeah, if it was me, I would surely give in" Nonoko told her. Mikan just placed a piece of meat in her mouth and shrugged; her mind on other things. The London broil tasted well….

"I mean, what with most of the school's female population against you, you don't seem to be bothered about it all" Anna said as if she was talking about the weather. A sweat drop appeared on both Nonoko's and Mikan's heads.

"Ah, so that's how much" Mikan voiced out her thoughts. It was good to know how many people she pissed off to help her be on guard. Now, to figure out what the hell did she do this time and then she's all set.

"Eh? You mean you didn't know?" Anna asked her.

"Not really" Mikan replied nonchalantly. Maybe she should recommend the hot sauce and mash potatoes to Kitsuneme and his father when she saw them today. It was _really_ good.

"Konichiwa" greeted a new voice. Three pairs of eyes landed on Tobita Yuu who was smiling nervously. Mikan already knew what he wanted since he was carrying a lunch tray and looking at them with nervousness. She decided to relieve the poor mouse of his worries.

"Go ahead. There's no rule that says you can't, Tobita" deciding that he didn't need a suffix, she called him by his surname. First names and suffixes like "chan" didn't really suit her that much.

Yuu's eyes showed happiness as he sat next to Mikan. Nonoko and Anna greeted him warmly and vice versa. Once the four of them were settled, Nonoko directed a question to Mikan.

"Mikan-chan., how could you not know that most of the female population in this school is out to get you?" Nonoko asked truly curious. Did she not know she was interacting with the most popular guys in school with huge fan clubs? Fan clubs that go to extreme measures to keep their princes safe and destroy any possible threat that could make them not single anymore.

_No, that's just preposterous! No one's _that_ densely unaware! _The two girls thought simultaneously.

"Why would they be? They either are spoiled brats with superiority complexes or they have no lives whatsoever and decide to interfere with mine" Mikan replied as she took a gulp out of her bottle of apple juice. It was her favorite brand—Minute Maid (Karin: I really love their apples juice). Nonoko and Anna did an anime fall.

_Apparently there is, _they both thought.

"Anou, Mikan-chan, do you r-remember this morning an-nd yesterday when you talked to my b-brothers on campus?" Yuu asked settling on clearing it up for her.

"Ah, each time wasted my reading time" Mikan replied. Yuu sweat dropped but continued on.

"W-well, obvi-iously female s-students saw you, an-nd well…" Yuu trailed off in a nervous stammer. Mikan felt she was going to be here forever if she didn't speed him up so she interrupted.

"Oi, stop stuttering and talk normally, nezumi" she told him curtly. Yuu's face lit up in embarrassment; especially from the nickname she dubbed him. The boy was indeed a mouse. Seeing that she was pushing him into more shyness, she added, "At least when you're talking to me. You can stutter all you want with others" she explained.

Yuu's face became even redder if that was possible. His eyes sparkled happily despite his glowing face. Her consideration of his shy personality was heart-warming to him.

"H-hai" he said. He then repeated stronger this time, "Hai!"

"My brothers and I are very popular. W-we even have fan clubs and stuff" Yuu explained with a shy tone. He wasn't stuttering all the time so Mikan didn't say anything. She needed to give him time to get used to his stutterless speech after all.

"And so… with the display from this morning and from yesterday when you tried killing Natsume-kun, girls have dubbed y-you their enemy" Yuu told her sadly. However, his fans were more considerate since they knew he didn't like others being picked on. So, they just glare at Mikan silently.

"Ah, so they use their fangirls to do their work for them. As expected from cowards" Mikan said as she closed her bento. Man, that was a good lunch.

"Oh no, Mikan-chan!" Yuu protested. "Please don't say things like that. I know my brothers. This is only the beginning" he told her seriously.

"Like I said, cowards" Mikan repeated as if she didn't hear him. To be honest, she didn't give a shit what those bastards were planning.

"W-well, they aren't so bad" Yuu whispered, but Mikan heard them clearly. "They really are good people when given the chance" he told her sincerely. Mikan found it hard to believe that those devils had an ounce of good in them, but chose not to speak it. Yuu looked like he knew what he was talking about. Besides, he's known them longer than she does so she has no right to contradict him.

"Whatever you say" she replied.

**--**

Gym. The subject that was any student's nightmare. Mikan was very neutral about gym. She wasn't fond of it nor did she despise it. It made her stay in shape and you get to pummel your classmates with dodge balls. How can that _not _be fun?

"Good afternoon, chibi!" Tsubasa greeted as he hooked his arm around her petite shoulders. "So you're in my gym class, huh? Sweet!" he said loudly. Jealous sparks were sent to Mikan.

In Alice Academy, the gym classes divided with each school. It didn't matter what grade you were in; if you were with high school, you go with the high school students; if you're in middle school, you go with middle school students; and finally, if you're in elementary, you go with elementary students. The college students didn't have a mandatory gym class, but they did have an advance weight room/gym to themselves instead of a big, sweaty gym like the school divisions below them.

"I gotta say, I didn't take you guys as cowards to make your faniglrs to do your dirty work" Mikan replied as she just stood there with his arm around her shoulders. He appeared to be the only brother with her in her gym class.

"Meh, we're just playing with you" Tsubasa said cheerfully. So she figured out they were getting her on their fangirls' hit lists. He then sniffed her for a second before asking "Why do you smell like hot sauce?"

Mikan just tugged the bill of her cap gently.

"I walked into a pizza shop and fell into their hot sauce supply by accident" she told him offhandedly with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Eh? Honto ni?" he asked her with shocked curiosity. Of all the brothers, Mikan would dub Tsubasa as the most idiotic.

The sound of the whistle allowed Mikan to get away from Tsubasa and go over to listen to the teacher. The gym uniforms they wore were a very standard outfit. Dark red shorts that reached above the knee—although some girls rolled them higher—and a white t-shirt with a dark red collar and the end of the sleeves lined with dark red too. Everyone wore white socks and sneakers.

"This week we'll be playing volleyball. You'll play two sets with each team for the rest of the week. And no, you don't chose the teams, I do!" the gym teacher bellowed making some of the students grumble in distain.

Mikna made a mental sigh of relief. That means that she didn't have to go around wasting her time asking to see if she could join a team. It sucked not being in a gym class with your friends. Mikan almost doubled over laughing when all the memories of gym class with her boys shown in her mind.

Good times, good times.

"Aw, chibi-chan isn't on my team" Tsubasa complained when he approached her after the teams were placed. Girls were glaring at Mikan in the background.

"You know, they already hate me, you don't need be near me every free second to lay it on thick" Mikan pointed out dryly. To be honest, she just didn't want to be around him. Tsubasa shrugged with a grin.

"It's amazing. I can read anyone like an open book, and yet, here you are a closed and locked book unable to show me anything. It frustrates me to not know what someone is thinking" Tsubasa confessed with a sheepish grin.

Mikan gave off an amused smile at his confession. This guy had props in acting.

"You should become an actor with the way you lay lies on" Mikan told him and walked off to join her team with Tsubasa staring after her. He gave off a shake of his head with an amused smile before going over to his given team.

All the while being shocked at himself for actually telling her the truth.

**--**

"Oof!" Mikan let out as yet another serve hit her. She rubbed her sore spot and glared at the perpetrator along with the others who had done the deed before her.

The perpetrators also happened to be her team.

"Sorry" the girl apologized not sounding sorry at all. In fact, she was outright glaring at Mikan as she held the ball. On the other side of the net, girls were sneering at her as well and didn't seem bothered at all that the game wasn't really happening. Instead, everyone seemed to like pegging Mikan with the volleyball, whether she was on their team or not.

"Look at her. She's so arrogant!" one girl whispered.

"I know! And she's simply barbaric! Did you hear that she bites down on the chalkboard and drags her teeth down them?" those were her nails dumbass.

"Yeah, and she has no manners at all! She steals from others when they were only trying to be nice to her!" a third girl said.

"How could Tono-sama approach such a barbarian?" another girl asked.

"He was only trying to be nice to her and she threw him over her shoulder!" Okay, _that_ one was true… well, at least the throwing over the shoulder part. That bastard was trying to steal her precious sandwich.

"And she tried to kill Natsume-sama! He didn't do anything to her and she pounced on him trying to defile his godness!" Okay, so she was violent, but he started it!

"Tsubasa-sama wouldn't leave her alone. It was like he actually wanted to be around her!"

"Reo-sama was talking to her yesterday in English. He was obviously forced to interact with that—that thing!"

"And Yuu-sama sat with her at lunch! That witch! She obviously bewitched him to be nice to her!" Alright, now all this is just getting ridiculous.

"Oi, save your squabbles for the locker room and play volleyball" Mikan told them sternly. It was just getting annoyingly ludicrous! If it wasn't for the plan, Mikan would've taken the ball right then and there and pummeled them all with it. Stupid girls and their stupid squabbles. The girls in her school never did this!

"Urusai you witch! We won't let you take any of them into your clutches!" a girl proclaimed loud enough for the whole gym to hear. All the girls around her made a sound of agreement while glaring at the baseball cap clad girl who just stared blankly at them.

She was surrounded by idiots. That was the only conclusion she can come up with.

"Hai, hai. Believe what you want, but keep me out of your idiotic misconceptions" Mikan replied as she tugged on the bill of her cap. She then turned to go to the locker rooms to get changed when the warning bell sounded saying she should get ready for her next class. School was almost over, and she couldn't wait to get out of this loony bin.

And then she would have to go to detention. Oh joy.

……………………………**..**

**Karin: Hey. There's some Tsubasa/Mikan, Tono/Mikan, and Yuu/Mikan for you. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Poor Mikan. Detention. Dun dun dun dun! **

**Natsume: Moron**

**Karin: So anyway, my computer is all fixed now **_**(throws confetti) **_**and I hope the wait wasn't long for the next update. **

**Natsume: It's not like they were banging their heads on their keyboards when you weren't updating. **

**Karin: Eh?! Really?! **

**Natsume: Idiot **

**See ya next time! **


	6. Of Televisions and Telegrams

Karin: Hiya everyone

**Karin: Hiya everyone! Hope you're doing well! **

**Natsume: Karin, I really need to talk to you about something**

**Karin: What is it? **

**Natsume: I think this story has become too dangerous**

**Karin: How so? **

**Natsume: We have readers banging their heads on keyboards for Christ's sake! All because you took so long in updating! **

**Karin: So? **

**Natsume: So? For the sake of the readers' lives you should stop this story while you still can**

**Karin: …but wouldn't that just make the casualties worse? Hey! Wait a second here, are you trying to get me to stop writing this story Natsume?! **

**Natsume: Well, um…**

**Karin: **_**(grabs a megaphone) **_**Attention readers, Natsume is a traitor! Please deposit all garbage at his head! **

**Natsume: **_**(gets pelted by garbage) **_**Argh! Dammit Karin! **

**Karin: Anyway, thank you for the reviews and lovely support. Your reward is an update to "Family Complex"!**

**Title: **Family Complex

**Rating: **Teen

**Genres: **Humor/Drama/Family/Friendship/Romance

**Pairings: **Mikan/multiple, Koko/Sumire, Yuka/Narumi

**Summary: **Mikan's life wasn't perfect, but she was contented… until her love-struck mother comes bursting into the apartment and claims she getting remarried! Now living with her future step father and future step brothers in her small apartment causes her life to make distract changes. Can Mikan survive all this change and pompous assholes for brothers or will she surrender and let them all become a family while changing them as well?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gakuen Alice nor do I own Natsume's respect.

**Replies to Reviews from Chapter Five: **

**BnWhites- **Yay! Praises for me! Glad to read you're enjoying yourself.

**Petalsarefallingxoxo- **You're lucky; I can't dance for crap. I, too, was laughing when I wrote Mikan flipping Tono over her shoulder. Seriously, a small girl flipping the tallest brother with a blank expression is hilarious. About your question though, I wouldn't want to copy off of you (though I love the idea) and I portrayed Yuu in this story to be the black sheep in the family with no confidence. He's basically the peacemaker stuck in the middle of the feud (like Mercutio, except he doesn't die, hehe). I just think giving Yuu a devious side when he's incredibly shy and good hearted would be very OOC in this story. However, he WILL get a backbone and even confront his mean brothers! I'm already planning the scene out as we speak (squeals!)

**Dominiqueanne- **Hope you didn't wait too long.

**UnbornHope- **Herbert (I named my computer) sends you love.

**Starrynight3800- **I'm with you on hating rumors. All they do is cause irrelevant trouble and hurt people.

**XKasumiX- **I'm very happy to see that people find this story humorous.

**Animeluv12- **Glad to see you're enjoying yourself. Hope you continue to enjoy "Family Complex". To be honest, I also can't wait to write fluffy Mikan/step bro scenes, but they have to warm up to her first and vice versa (pouts)

**Youichiix33- **yes, she is very violent, isn't she? I guess being with Koko since the diaper days can do that to you.

**Anime-Addict25- **Yes, she does pwn! (waves a Mikan flag) love the evil laugh by the way. Hehe

**Konnie- **Alright, here's the thing: I don't think I would be able to do that because I want them to warm up to her first before they see her face. These things take time, you know. Besides, if I did a scenario where they hate her, then see her face, then magically fall in love with her, wouldn't that be like they only liked her for her looks?

**Blizzel- **Eh? Seriously? Well, don't worry; Natsume will pay for your hospital bills since that's his punishment for being a traitor. (laughs at Natsume's demise)

**Catheriney2004- **Well, you never did anything cruel to me so in my defense, if I was killing you, it was totally unintentional. However, if one of my friends saw your review, they would tell you that yes, I was trying to kill you because I'm a cruel and heartless person apparently. (Grins) Oh, and Natsume would gladly pay—as it is his punishment for suggesting I stop this story—for your hospital bills (for banging your head on the keyboard) and funeral if I actually did succeed in sending you to the pearly white gates. (Natsume: Are you serious? This is the worst punishment ever!)

**Chris3169512- **Glad to see that others had enjoyed Tono being thrown over Mikan's shoulder with no regard for his well being. Hope that this story reoccurs to wow you. (takes a bow)

**Ejo- **Happy that this story caught your attention. If you do die though, Natsume will gladly pay for you funeral. (Natsume: Are you going to make me pay for everything?)

**Music of the heart- **Here's the awaited update! Oh and Natsume will be sure—(Natsume: Karin, I swear to god, if you me pay for one more hospital bill or funeral, I'll—)—to pay for any expenses that have caused you injury during your head bashing on your keyboard. (smiles and waves)

**Cute Pukite- **My computer Herbert sends you love. Hope you continue to love this story.

**Animeaddict.7- **I agree, they don't know anything about her and they're being mean to her. Maybe I am cruel because I write this stuff… meh, I got tired of thinking about it.

**Sugarcult-XD- **It warms my heart that so many people are looking forward to the next update of this story. I can't wait for Koko to come back soon too because I'm planning a really funny scene with him and Mikan together. I'm laughing so much from just thinking about it.

**Aeria Masie- **Happy that you think so. I don't really have good writing self-esteem sadly.

**Hannaxsweetheart- **That's a shame, but it's your decision. Mikan is adorable and average so she's not ugly but she's not overly beautiful either.

**TheElevatorGirl- **My computer Herbert sends his love.

**Fluffypenguinscandy- **You're welcome. I know what you mean by seeing good stories but they have horrible grammar; it causes me to go "gah!" and want to tear my hair out. Thanks for the suggestion. I think I might consider it later on. That would be a funny scenario. Good luck with studying your Latin.

**xxxFrozen-Firexxx- **The third book is called Inkdeath. They were going to change it to Inkdawn because they didn't think the title was appropriate for children, but kept it anyway. My friend and I are planning on throwing confetti down the hallways when it comes out in October; Yay!

**-kradraven- **Do you mean beautiful in looks or personality? Sorry, I'm the type of person who needs specifics or else I usually get things wrong and embarrass myself.

**Lisettesakura- **Yes, I too believe Mikan is surrounded by idiots (laughs).

**Niceladysakura- **Yes, deep down—way, _way_ down—they have good in them. And about "Sui Generis", I'm very sorry that I have not updated that story. However, I am not planning to abandon it so no worries. It's just that I'm currently working on my KH fanfiction.

**MeIsWatIam- **Yes, I'm very happy as well. Hope you didn't have to wait long.

**Gabyrendon- **Thank you. I'm quite surprised that many people like this story. I honestly thought it wasn't going to be popular at all.

**Kbrand- **Oh, thank you so much for the advice. I'll try harder next time. Please forgive me. Also, thanks for telling me the correct way to spell fifteen. I always had trouble with spelling that number.

**Autumn Aremega- **It's only been two months.Very sorry though. I have school, art club, and I'm working on my Kingdom Hearts fics. Hopefully this update will satisfy you for the time being.

* * *

**Family Complex **

**Chapter Six**

**Of Televisions and Telegrams**

**-**

**-**

**-**

_tick…_

_tick…_

_tick…_

_tick…_

Mikan drummed her fingers in rhythm with the sounds of the steady ticking of the clock hanging in Jinno-sensei's classroom. Her hazel eyes half lidded in pure boredom of it all. How long has it been already?

3:05pm it read. Her detention started at 3:00pm sharp and only five minutes has passed. Five minutes and the teenager was ready to throw herself out the window! And this classroom is on the third floor!

Peachy. Just absolutely peachy!

A soft sigh escaped her lips as her eyes looked out the window desperate for a change in scenery. Why did detention have to be so _boring_? It wasn't always like this, was it?

Mikan concluded the answer to be no. There was no way detention in her old school was boring. It was the complete opposite. What with her, Kitsuneme, Mochu, and Koko, boring was nonexistent.

She missed the belching contests already.

Her finger drumming continued leisurely. What was the point of detention besides boring people to death anyway? If you wanted someone to stop being undisciplined in school, you should just make them write a stinking essay or something. An essay had a better effect than just sitting around!

A small beeping sound brought her eyes towards Jinno-sensei. The teacher took a look at his cell phone before letting out a small curse. Without a word, he rose from his chair and headed for the door. He turned to the lone student sitting in the back of the room with a glare.

"Don't even think about leaving" he told her. Mikan gave him a look that clearly stated "Why would I?" which made his glare harden before shutting the door behind him.

Mikan leaned back in her chair and placed her arms behind her head. Her eyes subconsciously drifted towards the clock—a habit she presented when she was bored.

Oh look, it's only been two minutes!

The brunette let out an uncharacteristic groan and let her head plop onto the desk in hopelessness. If this is what it was going to be like for the rest of the week, she was definitely jumping out the nearest window.

Hmm, Jinno-sensei isn't here; maybe…

Her thoughts of jumping out the window were interrupted when said teacher returned. He appeared to be carrying something. Mikan didn't bother to pay attention thinking that it was some teacher stuff.

The drumming of her fingers resumed. She didn't even realize she was doing it. If Koko were here, he would've pointed out that she was getting restless. He once told her that she tended to drum her fingers when she felt edgy. After all, Mikan wasn't really one to sit around when she could be doing other things more productive with her time.

Mikan's demeanor saddened when she thought of her friend. Friday couldn't get here fast enough. It's only been two days and it felt like an eternity! Mikan didn't know how she was going to survive the rest of the week let alone every week Koko was gone.

What's worse was the fact that when he did come back for Friday to see her, she didn't know if she could take him walking out her door without going into hysterics. Mikan was never one to freak out and go into hysteria, but the thought of being apart from Koko like this was enough to make her break down.

A whisper of another curse yanked her out of her depressing thoughts. Normally she wouldn't have caught it, but the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop from down the hallway.

Mikan's hazel eyes turned from the window to see her stern math teacher who everyone feared banging a fist lightly on a small static screened television. It was slightly smaller than her own television at home and looked exactly like it in appearance and quality.

She raised an eyebrow curiously having witnessed this bizarre out of character Jinno-sensei. She doubted he would do something like this normally. Students feared him! You don't fear someone who you've seen having problems with a low quality television!

"Move the antennas to the right" she remarked unconsciously without thinking as she observed the television.

The teacher froze and turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Pardon?" he inquired. Mikan shrugged and leaned on the palm of her hand that had the elbow propped up on the desk.

"The TV antennas," she repeated flatly. "Move them to the right" she gestured with her other hand in a bored fashion.

"And why would I do that, Sakura-san?" he asked her suspiciously.

"Because you'll get better reception" Mikan told him dully. She shrugged again, "I have a television like that at home so I know what I'm talking about" she explained herself.

They simply stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Jinno-sensei turned slightly and did what she said. From the action, the static switched to a picture and sound just in time to see a football player getting tackled and the whistle being blown.

Having been satisfied with the result, Jinno-sensei sat in his chair and began watching the football game. Mikan turned her attention back to the window dismissing the weird moment like a speck on her shoulder she just blew off. The leisure drumming of her fingers continued in a fluid motion. The only sounds in the room were the television and her drumming fingers.

"I'm surprised you're not making a fuss" Jinno-sensei remarked idly. Mikan turned her head back to him before turning it back to the window.

"I'm surprised you even brought a TV during detention" Mikan answered him.

"I don't usually have to watch over detentions" he told her curtly. The brunette teen nodded in understanding. He was pretty scary to the students; she doubted he had problem students who would risk getting a detention with him. "I was planning on watching the game today, but since you misbehaved in my classroom, I had no choice but to enforce my authority less I want everyone acting up" he explained to her.

"Ah, so I ruined your afternoon plans?" Mikan couldn't help but smile in amusement. Not because of Jinno-sensei, but how once again she had managed to cause amuck without knowing it. Koko would be laughing when he heard this.

Jinno-sensei let out a snort his eyes remaining on the television.

"You seem proud of yourself" he remarked.

"I usually am when I do something amusing to tell others" Mikan mocked back.

"Obviously you were a trouble maker in your previous school" Jinno-sensei concluded.

Mikan shrugged once more.

"I wouldn't say trouble maker but I had my fair share. Everyone does once in a while. It's only human" she explained.

Neither of them spoke after that.

**--**

"Okay, it's brownish gold; has big watery eyes; and can create the second Niagara Falls with its slobber" Kitsuneme said.

"Your dog" Mikan replied. She finished wrapping up another sandwich and handed it to him and he handed it to the customer. The woman gave her thanks, then left to go pay at the counter in the middle of the small Wawa.

"Damn! Why do you getting them?" Kitsuneme asked with a pout.

"Because they're easy. I know your dog like the back of Koko's hand" Mikan reminded him. "What's big, adventurous, and you can do anything there with anyone?" she asked him as she continued with her next sandwich.

"The park" Kitsuneme replied right away. Mikan then lightly flicked his forehead then went back to her work.

"See, you're getting every one of mine too" Mikan told him. Her navy cap was backwards as to not impair her vision as she worked. Kitsuneme shrugged.

"Yeah, but you go easy on me. I'm actually trying" he told her sighing hopelessly.

"Whatever" Mikan replied.

"So, how's the prep school so far?" her friend inquired nonchalantly.

"Hell" Mikan replied with no hesitation whatsoever causing Kitsuneme to sweat drop at her bluntness. "Everyone there is an idiot" she elaborated for him.

"Really?" he asked in surprise. "I was sure since it's a prep school they would be smarter than us"

"Nope, prep school is just another way of saying for 'idiotic rich folk'" Mikan replied shrugging. Kitsuneme let out a laugh.

"How 'bout classes? They presenting a challenge to you?" he asked her.

"Not really; it's the same as our school. The only thing that gives me problems is math" Mikan admitted.

"Well, that's not new. You had problems with math at our school too" Kitsuneme replied with a laugh. Neither of them could bring themselves to say "his school" instead of "Our school" even though Mikan didn't go there anymore.

But they were sure it was only a matter of time before Mikan returned to their school like nothing happened. They would go back into their routine and be happy again just like before. It hurt them when they couldn't see each other everyday like they used too. Mochu was sharing the same sentiments.

It was excruciatingly depressing. They missed each other.

Their shift finished without much hassle. Kitsuneme and Mikan spent their time goofing around and talking like they always did. Kitsuneme filled her in on what was going on in their school while she was gone; what she needed to take care of when she came back; and that everyone missed her. Sure, she wasn't really popular, but the people at Mikan's school knew each other since the kindergarten days. They've been together for more than a decade. It was inevitable that they would miss her.

For the sake of returning to that, she would do her best and behave herself in Alice Academy.

Mikan hastened her backpack on her shoulder preparing to leave. Something slipped out of it and flowed to the ground in a relaxed motion.

"Hey Mikan, what's that?" Kitsuneme noticed the piece of paper fall out of her bag. He pointed to the paper lying still on the ground.

"Dunno" Mikan shrugged her shoulders and picked it up. Her sharp eyes swept across the paper in a mundane fashion.

_Stay away from Natsume-kun and Ruka-kun! All you do is cause unnecessary problems! _

Mikan raised an eyebrow and sighed. Kitsuneme looked at her in confusion before she slipped the note in her pocket.

"It's just something idiotic" she clarified for him. Mikan then turned and began walking in the direction to her apartment. "See ya tomorrow"

**--**

_You don't belong here_

Mikan examined the letter as she stood in front of her open locker. No one paid her mind as they were too absorbed in their own lives. The note was written in the same style of writing as the one from yesterday.

Grabbing a couple of books for her morning classes, Mikan placed them under her arm and shut her locker. She then proceeded to her first period class without as much as a thought about the note.

**--**

"Hora, you don't seem very irritated today" Reo voiced out as she walked in the classroom. As usual, she was the victim of many pranks and booby-traps from the fangirls. Ever since that brainless girl announced her declaration to Mikan in front of their entire gym class, the girls seemed to have taken more action and stepped up their torture. Not only were her textbooks stolen and vandalized, but her gym clothes were torn and spray painted meaning she couldn't wear them.

"Doesn't matter to me" she said and sat in her seat in the back. What was the point of getting mad when she was leaving this dump after exams? It would just be a waste of her time to deal with mindless morons.

"Hmm, you seem so confident in yourself" Reo muttered.

"What?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow under the bill of her navy baseball cap.

"Oh nothing!" he grinned at her and waved it off. After all, it wasn't time yet for their toy to know about their knowing of her little plan. It wouldn't be devastating to her nor would they have the upper hand. Their toy was an intelligent little thing; no doubt she would find some way around them if she knew about their knowledge of her plans on leaving Alice Academy.

He heard her mutter something akin to "weirdo" before the bell rang and he went back to his seat for class.

**--**

"M-mikan-chan, how w-was school so far?" Yuu asked her when he arrived at her table. It seems he and the other two liked her company enough to come sit with her again. Anna and Nonoko were chatting excitedly while Mikan ate her meal quietly.

"Fine" she replied taking a bite out of her meal. Today she had chicken and broccoli with noodles for her lunch. Again, another left-over meal from last night that she made for herself. Due to the fact that Mikan came home at 8:30, she made her own meals since everyone else already had dinner together. She didn't mind; she wasn't into having meals with any of her future family members anyway.

"That's g-good" he told her smiling brightly. His gaze then turned to worry as a thought occurred to him. "No one's being mean to y-you, right?" he asked her concerned.

Her hazel eyes darted to him before turning back to her meal. She thought it best not to worry the mouse. Besides, she was fine. She wasn't going to whine and complain when something isn't going right.

She was leaving here anyway so what was the point in making the mouse worry?

"Not really" she told him and continued eating her meal in silence.

**--**

"Chibi-chan, why aren't you dressed today?" Tsubasa asked her.

"Uniform wasn't in shape" she told him simply. She knew by the mischievous spark in his eyes that he knew what exactly was wrong with her uniform. His handsome smile had a hint of deviousness that only she could see clearly.

"Eh? That's a shame" Tsubasa told her still smiling that same smile. Girls swooned, but soon glared at Mikan since it was directed at her.

"Ja ne, Chibi-chan" he said and went over to where the teachers were when the whistle blew leaving Mikan to sit against the wall away from everyone.

**--**

"Game still going on, I see" Mikan observed when she saw Jinno-sensei in front of the little television again.

"Overtime" he told her.

"Aa" was all she said then proceeded towards her seat. She plopped down unceremoniously and gazed out the window. A few minutes into detention, her fingers began their dance of drumming. It was her usual subconscious gesture meaning she was getting fidgety again.

The sounds of the television drifted into Mikan's ears as she watched the scenery outside. It was a very nice day out and she couldn't help but wish she could be outside in the park playing catch with Koko, Mochu, and Kitsuneme like they usually did after school. Yet another thing that succeeded in souring her mood.

"Sakura-san, would you cease that tapping noise?" Jinno-sensei's voice brought her out of her reminiscing. Her hazel eyes switched from the window to look at her annoyed math teacher.

And sure enough, she was indeed drumming her fingers. She ceased doing it and looked back at her teacher.

"It's a habit. I do it without even realizing it most of the time" she said not bothering to apologize. Jinno-sensei went back to watching the game as Mikan looked outside the window keeping her free hand—the other she was using to lean on—from going on the desk less she wants to begin tapping again. However, that didn't do anything for she just started drumming her fingers on her jeans.

"Sakura-san!" Jinno-sensei said in warning believing she was doing it on purpose just to spite him.

"Who's winning?" she asked all of a sudden taking him off guard.

"What?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Who's winning?" she repeated. Mikan couldn't take the non-activity her body was experiencing. The fact that she couldn't do anything was driving her mad!

"Steelers" Jinno-sensei replied. Mikan then got up from her seat and approached the television screen.

"Of course they're winning. It's the Eagles they're playing against" Mikan said when she got a closer look on who was playing (A/n: I'm not an Eagles hater okay so no one be mad at me if you are a fan of them. Also, I don't know a lot about football so please forgive me). "Wasn't Joe Montana on the Steelers?" Mikan asked as she crossed her arms against her chest.

"No, it was the Forty-Niners; not the Steelers. Didn't anyone teach you about football, Sakura-san?" he asked her briskly.

"I prefer baseball over football" Mikan replied for her defense. It wasn't her fault she didn't know every little detail about football unlike some men do. Her and Koko would watch the baseball games together once a month.

She stayed watching the television with her math teacher in silence for the rest of detention.

**--**

Thursday morning Mikan opened her locker again. Her body shivered slightly from the convulsions of her cold shower. Stupid Mom who made her take showers in the morning because she didn't want the shower running at night when she came home!

Another note was lying there. More like an obligation than wanting to know what it says, Mikan read over it sleepily.

_Stop ignoring my notes! They're supposed to make you feel bad! _

Mikan had to chuckle at that. Deciding that this deserved acknowledgment, she took a pen and wrote something on the back lazily. She then closer her locker making sure the note stuck our so the girl could grab it. She knew it was a girl from the first note. Mikan also received notes from the same person different parts of the day slipped in her locker. They basically said the same thing so she didn't even bother to read them. All she did was skim, shut locker, and throw it away. The person must've known what she was doing with her notes since they wrote this.

This time though, she felt as if she needed to say something.

_I will when you begin to say something that actually sounds intelligent. _

**--**

"Don't you have anything better to do besides read manga?" Mikan asked the raven-haired boy who was reading yet another one of his Japanese comics in homeroom. To be honest, she didn't really like mangas. They took the quality of books away and made people think that books were boring because they didn't have pictures in them.

"Don't you have anything better to do besides being ugly?" Natsume asked her still reading his manga.

"How do you know I'm ugly when you never even saw all of my face?" she asked him in distain.

"Because no one would be so convicted to wear something that covers their face unless they were ugly" he told her turning a page.

Mikan decided to ignore him seeing that he wouldn't change his view on calling her ugly. It was just to get a rise out of her anyway. Nothing to waste her breath on. He didn't deserve to have her attention; none of them did.

**--**

"Hey sweet P," Kitsuneme greeted smiling. Mikan raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior. He appeared to be happy about something.

It wasn't until he held out something and Mikan read it did she know why.

_Hey, how are you? I guess you can tell me when I see you, huh? I can't wait to see you. Things are just so boring without you, tangy. I'll be sure to bring a good movie for us to watch. Kitsu tells me your step-pops bought a plasma screen with a DVD player yesterday. _

_I miss you_

_-Koko_

It was then that Mikan knew just from those three words that Koko had felt all the sadness and depression she had felt from their separation.

"I miss you too, Coco Puff"

* * *

**Karin: Okay, there you go. Hope you guys liked it. Sorry if it's not really good and I apologize for the delay. School and other stuff kept me busy. Plus, I'm working on my KH fanfiction right now. **

**Natsume: That was pointless. **

**Karin: It was not! I wanted to show instances of the week with Friday coming up. **

**Natsume: Whatever you say**

**Karin: Anyway, next chapter is the one you've been waiting for! Koko comes back to see Mikan! Get ready for some Koko/Mikan bonding in the next chapter! Please be kind enough to leave a review on the way out! **

**See ya next time! **


	7. Of Songs and Sweets

**Karin: I'm so excited! Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is coming to the US in December! WOOT! **

**Natsume: If it's Kingdom Hearts, why are you updating for a Gakuen Alice story? **

**Karin:… You know, I have no idea. **

**Natsume: **_**(slaps forehead) **_**Why? Why did God have to put me with this idiot? **

**Karin: Oh hush! You're just mad because Ven is way awesomer than you!**

**Natsume: He's in Birth by Sleep, not Chain of Memories you know. **

**Karin: I know. I'm just pointing out that I like him a lot more than you. **

**Title: **Family Complex

**Rating: **Teen

**Genres: **Humor/Drama/Family/Friendship/Romance

**Pairings: **Mikan/multiple, Koko/Sumire, Yuka/Narumi **(Should I put Koko/Mikan as a** **pairing too?)**

**Summary: **Mikan's life wasn't perfect, but she was contented… until her love-struck mother comes bursting into the apartment and claims she getting remarried! Now living with her future step father and future step brothers in her small apartment causes her life to make distract changes. Can Mikan survive all this change and pompous assholes for brothers or will she surrender and let them all become a family while changing them as well?

**Disclaimer: **If you think I own Gakuen Alice or Avenue Q, this disclaimer has told you otherwise.

**NOTE: The beginning of this chapter contains pure crack inspired by Avenue Q. You have been warned. Also, sorry that they lyrics are in all caps. I couldn't change them because that's how they were when I found them on the internet. **

**Replies to Reviews from Chapter Six: **

**Dominiqueanne- **Hehe, you'll just have to find out, now won't you? (grins)

**UnbornHope- **Glad to see you had some laughs. A lot of people are very happy that Koko's coming back. I wonder if I started an epidemic of Koko/Mikan fandom for this story (laughs).

**Her-star-lit starlite dream…- **Koko seems to be the most popular character in this story, which makes me smile since he's one of my favorite characters in Gakuen Alice. Perhaps I should do a popularity contest for this story, ne?

**Blizzel- **haha! See Natsume; someone besides me thinks you got what you deserved! (Natsume: Shut up, Karin) Anyway, good to know I'm not alone with the slow pace and stuff because of school. I'm very happy that this story had made your day; I hope this story will continue to have the same effect. And yes, Jinno and Mikan are "bonding" in a sense. PS- I like the parent impression (laughs).

**crimsonMoonlight20- **Glad you like the nicknames. I was quite proud of myself for thinking of them (Natsume: It also took her about five hours to actually think of them). (Karin: Stop telling lies Natsume! …it only took three!)

**chris3169512- **Thank you! I'm so happy people like the nicknames! I grin like an idiot too sometimes. Heh, I'm such a loser at times (laughs). Yeah, the boys should be hung up by their shirt collars for endangering Mikan's health (laughs evilly).

**Autumn Aremega- **Don't sweat it; I understand. To be honest, your review was what made me get off my lazy butt and update finally (laughs). I knew what you meant by the friendship thing between Jinno and Mikan instead of romance so don't worry about it (grins). I wanted to do something not seen that much. Hopefully I did a good job with it. I made you like Reo/Mikan? Wow, awesome. I plan to do some Narumi/Mikan bonding in this chapter along with Youichi/Mikan. There will be some Ruka/Mikan in the next chapter though. I'm so excited to write it.

**Petalsarefallingxoxo- **There's no "s" in between the "i" and the "c". It's spelled "Classic". Anyway, glad that you find the Jinno/football thing funny. The "woot" part in your review made me laugh for some reason. Maybe it's because I love saying that word (laughs). I'm so glad that everyone is happy that Koko is coming back. I missed him too much.

**Youichiix33- **THANK YOU!! (Since you wrote in all caps, I did too XD)

**LiMiyuki- **Oh yes, that will be a scene to remember now won't it? (grins and laughs)

**Lucia096- **Thank you. I hope you had a good vacation by the way.

**Sarina- **I will be sure to continue it. Thank you for complimenting.

**Music of the Heart- **Oh my, it still hurts? Perhaps I could rent Natsume as your personal slave until you feel better (Natsume: Oh, so now you escalated in your extorting?). Koko is really loved in this fic. I'm so happy for that. I find him to be a very lovable character.

**YesThatsMe- **I think I already answered this, but if I didn't then I'll say it again: Hello New Friend-chan! Yes, Mikan misses Koko, but he comes back in this chapter! Finally, I was starting to feel as lonely as Mikan without the awesome Coco Puff.

**Tenshi07- **Yes, I missed Koko too. I just wanted to get the sixth chapter over with so I could write this chapter. Koko is too lovable to be away from for so long! (sobs)

**Dark0Lightening- **Yay! I got thumbs up like for the movies! Glad to see you enjoy Mikan's personality. I enjoy writing her that way.

**Kazumi17- **thank you!

**XKasumiX- **Wow, that's a coincidence! Glad to see you had some laughs.

**BnWhites- **Seriously, I'm starting to believe that Koko now has his own fanclub (not that I'm complaining. I love the guy to bits XD). Maybe I'll put up a popularity contest at the end of the chapter. Happy that you like the mystery of the notes.

**Lobaa- **The fact that you took time out of your schedule to review is awesome enough 8D. No, this story is not in the US; the setting is Tokyo (as stated in Chapter One). However, it does seem more like it's in the US I guess. Sorry about that.

**Sapphire-Hime- **Thanks for the praise. Hope you continue to enjoy yourself as the story goes on.

**Sylphid- **I think I'm going to do a vote to see if anyone wants Koko/Mikan as a couple at the end of the chapter. When I first planned out the story, I didn't have any intent on making them a pairing, but as I went along with the story, I too now want them to be a couple in this. Yes, I agree with you; the whole Natsume hates Mikan blah and then they fall in love with each other is kinda overused. By the way, I don't know if you care or not, but I actually wrote a Koko/Mikan oneshot on called "Unexpected". I think I might do another oneshot on them in the near future.

**Anon- **It pleases me to see that even nonusers on like this story. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

**xXPenguXx- **(bows in gratitude) I thank you for the amazing compliment. Usually I have low confidence in my writing, but this review seriously made my day. And yes, I like Natsume/Mikan too. I like Mikan with a lot of characters actually (laughs).

**Zelrilnise- **I hope the reunion doesn't disappoint (smiles). I'm glad you like the plot.

**FieryPink17- **I'm so happy to see that everyone is excitedly waiting for the Koko/Mikan reunion. I hope that you enjoy it. Also, I'm very happy to see that you liked the ending of the sixth chapter. I just had to put some Koko in there. He's just so adorable!

**Ejo- **Hello New Friend-chan! Sorry for the long wait. I actually just read one of your stories. It was the one about Youichi's onesided love towards Mikan. Would you think I'm weird if I told you I actually adore the Youichi/Mikan pairing? I think it's cute. I'll be sure to check out some of your other stories as well when I have the time.

**Fluffypenguinscandy- **No sweat; I could understand it so it's okay. I'm glad you like the Koko/Mikaness. I'm now pretty sure that I'm going to do a vote at the end of the chapter to see if anyone wants them as a pairings also. Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy yourself.

**Sarah3905780- **Happy to see you liked the chapter.

**Vk-kuran- **Thank you very much. You're praises made me smile at the fact that this story had that much of an effect on you. I hope you continue to love this story.

* * *

**Family Complex**

**Chapter Seven: **

**Of Songs and Sweets**

**-**

**-**

**-**

Mikan impatiently turned a page in her book. She was currently seated with her knees pulled up on her lumpy couch reading _Blood and Chocolate _by Annette Curtis Klause. Her sharp brown eyes flickered to the clock on the wall before going back to her book for the tenth time in three minutes. Her fingers tapped on her thighs as she read the next page.

Without her consent, Mikan's eyes once again looked at the clock. It read 8:03pm. Where was that blasted Coco Puff? She was getting restless and the fact that she was only a few minutes away from seeing her best friend after a week's absence wasn't helping much.

Her tapping fingers and her erratic beating heart were from the excitement of seeing him. Oh how she couldn't wait for him to walk into her front door with that goofy grin on his face. She could hardly sit still at all today in school because of the expecting of her friend.

It would be better if the cheesepuff would hurry it up and get here!

She turned another page and continued reading—her fingers still tapping unconsciously. She was so eager to see Koko. He said in his letter that he would bring a movie for them to watch together. Her eyes then drifted to the plasma screen television in distain. To be honest, Mikan wasn't happy at all that her mother completely sold out and squealed when Narumi brought home the television claiming it was a present.

Translation: My spoiled bratty sons were complaining about your sucky television so I got us a new one.

God, it was so stupid! Mikan liked their television. Sure it didn't get many channels and the reception was pretty bad, but it was still her television. Might we remind ourselves that Sakura Mikan is a very territorial person when it comes to her things?

By the way, the spinny chair was still hers. Her homeroom teacher has not managed to take it back from her in fear that she might attack him.

Moving on, if the unendurable television would make her bonding more fun with Koko, she would tolerate it for now. However, she was sure that she would get rid of it somehow even if it took years off of her lifespan.

"I'm home, Tangy!" the door slammed open with an exhilarated Kokoroyomi standing there with the biggest grin she's ever seen him with.

Mikan grinned widely—something completely out of her character—and raced off the couch faster than Speedy Gonzales after a piece of cheese towards him. She latched her arms around his torso and grasped him tight as if he was her life line and the only thing keeping her from certain death.

He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his chin on top of her capped head. She nuzzled her cheek into his chest with her grin still placed on her features. She felt so free! So alive!

He was here. He was with her again.

"Hey, you miss me?" he asked softly as he swayed her slightly still in their tight embrace. He knew she liked being swayed slowly when she hugged him. It always made her feel better when she was sad.

"Pssh, try every millisecond" Mikan said with a snort.

He chuckled at that. He tightened his hold around her if that was even possible.

"Yeah, me too" he replied to her. It was silence between them before they both separated and Koko walked over to her couch. "Hey, you'll never guess what happened to me today on the subway" he began.

"What?" she asked as she picked up her book again much calmer this time. It felt so good to be in her best friend's presence again. "It got delayed?" she asked.

"Nope" Koko said drawing out the "p". "This guy was smiling at me… and talking to me… being really friendly to me…" he trailed off.

"So?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow. She took a swig out of her Pepsi and turned a page in her book.

"I think he thought I was gay" Koko told her causing Mikan to spit her soda out in a comical fashion. Koko patted her back as she coughed.

"W-What?! Why are you even telling me this?!" Mikan questioned him with wide eyes. That was something she did _not_ expect. "I don't wanna know this!"

"Are you getting defensive?" he asked her.

"Why the hell do you think I'm getting defensive? This is just something you don't hear everyday!" Mikan said glaring.

"I didn't mean anything by it, Mikan. I just think it's something we should be able to talk about" Koko told her trying to pacify his friend.

"This is too weird. This conversation is over" Mikan said massaging her temples.

"Yeah, but…"

"OVER!" she said with a final tone. She then turned another page ignoring the weirdness of the situation. Koko sat back against the couch with a pout as he looked at her. In the background, faint music started playing out of nowhere causing Mikan's head to snap up and look around.

"Well, okay, but just so you know—"

_IF YOU WERE GAY  
THAT'D BE OKAY.  
I MEAN 'CAUSE, HEY,  
I'D LIKE YOU ANYWAY.  
BECAUSE YOU SEE,  
IF IT WERE ME,  
I WOULD FEEL FREE  
TO SAY THAT I WAS GAY  
(BUT I'M NOT GAY.)_

"Where the hell is that music coming from?" Mikan asked with a raised eyebrow. "And Koko, stop being an idiot, would you?" she asked him.

The sandy brown haired boy simply stared at her causing her eye to twitch.

"What?" she asked him.

_IF YOU WERE QUEER_

"Seriously Koko, shut up"

_I'D STILL BE HERE,_

"Was there a carbon dioxide leek in the subway?"

_YEAR AFTER YEAR_

"Are you even listening to me? Oh great, now you're dancing"

_BECAUSE YOU'RE DEAR  
TO ME,_

"I swear to God, Koko. If you don't stop questioning my sexually and shut the fu—"

_AND I KNOW THAT YOU_

"What?"

_WOULD ACCEPT ME TOO,_

"I would?"

_IF I TOLD YOU TODAY,  
"HEY! GUESS WHAT,  
I'M GAY!"  
(BUT I'M NOT GAY.)  
I'M HAPPY  
JUST BEING WITH YOU._

"I'm about to throw you out that window in about five seconds"

_SO WHAT SHOULD IT  
MATTER TO ME  
WHAT YOU DO IN BED  
WITH GIRLS?_

"It's a lie if you think I'm not a virgin, you dumbass!"

"No, it's not!" he cried waving his arms up and down like a retarded penguin on crack.

_IF YOU WERE GAY  
I'D SHOUT HOORAY!_

"Alright, I'm not listening anymore"

_AND HERE I'D STAY,_

"La la la la"

_BUT I WOULDN'T GET  
IN YOUR WAY._

"Must not kill. Must not kill"

_YOU CAN COUNT ON ME  
TO ALWAYS BE  
BESIDE YOU EVERY DAY,  
TO TELL YOU IT'S OKAY,  
YOU WERE JUST BORN  
THAT WAY,  
AND, AS THEY SAY,  
IT'S IN YOUR DNA,  
YOU'RE GAY!_

"But I'm not gay!"

"If you _were_ gay"

"THAT'S IT!!!" _CRASH! BANG! BOOM! _

**--**

"MIKAN!!!" Koko shouted at the top of his lungs when he saw his friend thrashing around on the couch. She must be having a nightmare, he thought worriedly. With that thought, the sandy brown haired boy quickly aided to wake up his friend.

Her brown eyes snapped open to see Koko's worried chocolate orbs staring down at her. He expected her to greet him with a slight wave.

…However, he didn't expect her to punch him in the face crying "I'M NOT GAY!!!"

"…I never said you were…" Koko said dizzily with swirly eyes.

**--**

"…oh, I get it now. You never did like it when you dreamt about show tunes" Koko said in understanding when Mikan had explained her bizarre and would rather not talk about again dream.

The capped girl massaged her temples beside him on the couch.

"It's not my fault that every time I dream of people singing show tunes, they _never_ shut the fu—"

"Mikan! You're going to make your intestines explode!" Koko shouted drowning out her foul mouth.

"—up and what's worse is that I can't _kill_ them" she muttered. Koko patted her shoulder sympathetically as he grabbed a dorito out of the plastic bowl between them. After all, he knew quite well her hatred of show tune dreams.

You see what being apart from Koko has reduced her to? Dreaming of show tunes! Now if that wasn't a sign that being apart from Koko was hazardous to her health, Mikan didn't know what was.

"Oh! By the way, I brought a movie for us!" Koko said grinning. "It's the video from the Avenue Q play!" he said happily.

_BAM!_

Mikan was standing above him with a dark expression as one of her fist clenched his shirt collar in a death grip. He laughed nervously and waved his hands defensively.

"I was kidding. I was kidding! I brought Star Wars Episode III" he said knowing that if he didn't stop playing with her mind, Mikan would seriously give in to her homicidal tendencies and kill him.

After all, he wasn't a show tune singer in one of her dreams; unlike them, Mikan could very well maim him.

**--**

"Epic" Koko muttered out as the movie was in the middle of the battles between Obi Won and Anakin while Yoda was battling the Sith Lord. "I wish I had a light saber" he muttered in dismay.

"I'm sure someone will come up with some way to make an actual light saber before you die" Mikan told him and propped another dorito in her mouth. They were currently devouring their third large party dorito bag deluxe.

Yuka would not be happy when she found all the Doritos were missing.

"It sucks though that Obi Won dies in the fourth movie" Mikan said as she watched the movie with interest. Although she would rather cut her tongue out than admit it, the plasma screen had a wonderful picture.

"I know! He was my favorite character!" Koko replied with a slight huff.

"I thought Yoda was your favorite" Mikan raised an eyebrow at him. Koko shook his head sheepishly.

"It goes back and forth" he said chuckling. Mikan nodded and went back the screen. She winced when Yoda hit one of the platforms while fighting the Sith Lord. "So, where's the rest of the family?" he asked her taking a swig out of her Pepsi.

She replied by swiping it back and bonking him on the head.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? _Ask_ first before taking a sip" and as usual, the girl took a sip out of the same can without thoughts of germs or anything.

"You didn't answer my question" Koko pointed out. Mikan removed the can from her mouth and wiped her lips of soda before looking at him.

"Out" she simply replied. Mikan leaned back against the lumpy couch and looked at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression on her features. "Mom took them all out saying they should do something as a family" she shrugged as she explained to him.

In truth, that was what had happened, but her mother's reasons were moderately clear on why she had took all the occupants of the apartment besides Mikan out for "bonding" time. She had wanted Mikan and Koko to have the apartment to themselves. Yuka was a very understanding woman; while she did have her limits, she relented and allowed her daughter and her best friend to have the apartment to themselves just like they always did.

It wasn't fair in Yuka's opinion to take their night away from them.

Koko gave her a mock pout when he processed the information.

"Aw, so I don't get to meet the morons who have dared challenge my tangy?" he asked pouting.

"Pff, don't underestimate them. They're not the average morons" Mikan told him with a snort in distain. Koko gave her a nod his expression turning serious.

"How are _you_ handling all of this?" he asked her concerned. While Mikan had told him everything that had happened since he was gone—with a straight face and nonchalant tone no less—he couldn't help but be concerned. She was his best friend! He knew her more than anyone! Of course he was going to be concerned about what was going on!

Mikan turned her eyes to him solemnly. Her usual impassive, nonchalant expression chipping, something she could do easily around him.

"It could be worse, but it's nothing worth crying over split milk" she said gazing up at the ceiling.

A slight flop on her lap made her look back down. Koko lied there staring up at her smiling. She smiled fondly back running her fingers through his hair to calm his worrying nerves. She wasn't really fond of worrying, but she understood Koko's earnest concerns. They had been apart for basically a week—somewhat less—the longest they've been without each other. They couldn't help but wonder, worry, pray that the other was doing fine.

"I know" he said his warm brown eyes sparkling. "I know that they're no match for you" he said smiling.

"It doesn't mean I don't wish you were there with me" Mikan said. While she was an independent person and preferred doing things herself, she would chose being with Koko any day.

"It's not fair, you know" Koko said with sorrowful eyes. "The fact that I can't be there with you—even though I know perfectly well you can handle yourself—and have it be like the old times" he said.

"You make it sound like we'll never have those times again" Mikan smiled slightly. A laugh was her reply as Koko looked up at her from her lap.

"You're right. I guess being away from you this long has made me sentimental" he said.

"Oh, the movie's ended" Mikan observed as they turned to see the credits roll by. Her eyes drifted to the clock before going back down to the boy on her lap, "It's 8:30. The others won't be back until another hour. Wanna do some star gazing?" she asked him.

"You bet!" Koko said grinning up at her.

**--**

Koko let out a contented sigh as he laid back spread eagle on the connected lawn chairs. Mikan only looked at him in annoyance—_taking up all the room, _she thought—before settling herself right beside him on covering one of his arms and one of his legs in the process.

"Mikan, you're crushing my limbs" he told her in a whiny tone.

"Too bad. That's what you get for taking up my space" she told him snuggling up to his side. The huge blanket covered them as they wore jackets since it was cool outside.

"You're so mean" he told her laughing slightly as they played another one of their games. It felt incredibly good to be like this. To laugh and joke around like they always did. To leave reality even just for a second and be in their world—the world consisting of only them.

"Yeah, and you're so goofy" she stated plainly placing her arms behind her head. Her cap was backwards once more as it usually was around him. An obvious sign that she was comfortable around him.

"So, how's Kitsu and Mochu?" he asked her suddenly.

"Lost without us" Mikan said grinning as he was. Kitsuneme was practically bawling because he and Mochu had obtained detention once again because Mikan and Koko weren't there to help them cover up their mischief.

"Ah, if only I could see their faces" Koko mused out with a teasing, yet fond, smile.

"And you call me mean" Mikan told him looking at him with sharp hazel eyes. His chocolate eyes watched her as her expression then turned thoughtful, "Although, their expressions of despair are amusing to say the least"

"I rest my case" Koko said gazing up at the dull twinkling stars. Mikan rolled her eyes and turned to look at the stars also.

"…I… wish we could just stay like this…" Mikan murmured quietly, but she knew he heard her perfectly. "I know it's a childish thought, but even if it's just for a little while, I want to be taken away from reality with you…" she trailed off.

Koko used the arm she was laying on to place it around her shoulders pulling her closer to him. A solemn look on his normally happy features was present all the while.

"Yeah… me too…"

**--**

He didn't know how much time had passed as he and Mikan had lied on the roof, but his watch began beeping slightly signaling that he had to leave in order to catch his train.

Koko's heart clenched as he winced from the time. It felt like it was mocking him—taunting him reminding him he couldn't run away from reality anymore.

His brown eyes shifted to Mikan. She was pressed against his side gently breathing in her slumber. She had fallen asleep a little while back snuggling up to him for body warmth. While it wasn't cold compared to the winter air of November and December, it was still chilly out.

He placed his hand on top of her head stroking it softly. He didn't want to leave. Not her. It pained him every second he wasn't near her. She was his other half, his supporter, his everything.

She was his world just like he was hers.

To be honest, it was hard—being away from her that is. Every second he wasn't with his best friend felt like pure agony. He didn't know how he had managed to make it so far without her. Perhaps it was the thought of being able to see her that kept him sane.

His grandfather was nice. He was doing okay of course. But without Mikan, it just wasn't the same. Nothing without her was ever the same.

Still, he smiled for his grandfather; acted like everything was normal. But in reality, his thoughts often drifted back to Mikan. He couldn't help but be concerned for her. He's always been concerned for her when he wasn't there. The girl may have a powerful wall formed around her heart that makes her strong, but a nagging voice in the back of his mind always reminded him of one thing when he wasn't there:

Every wall has a weak spot. And he prayed to Kami-sama that no one would ever find it and crush her vulnerable heart—especially if he wasn't there to keep her sanity in check.

His watch beeped again yanking him out of his depressing thoughts. With a disheartened sigh, the male carefully rose from the lawn chairs as to not disturb the other occupant. He went to retrieve his stuff, but something clutching his shirt prevented him from his task.

Kokoroyomi turned to see amber eyes gazing at him tiredly. Mikan's grip was firm and secure showing that she wasn't going to let him go without a fight.

"Stay" she commanded. A soft smile came upon Koko's features.

"I have to leave to catch my train" he replied gently.

"Don't care" she mumbled sleepily and with a hint of… desperation? "Can't you spare a little more time?" she asked him.

"My train will leave without me if you keep hanging onto me like that" he said smiling amused at her antics, but inside all he concentrated on was the hand holding his shirt begging in his mind that she wouldn't let go so he would have an excuse to stay with her.

"Catch the next one" she said stubbornly. She rose up slightly with her grip on him still intact. Her hazel eyes gazing into his chocolate ones determinedly, "At least until I fall asleep completely" she pleaded to him. Her eyes, which were usually bored and confident, were laced with desperation and completely vulnerable to him. As if it was an innocent child looking upon him instead of a fifteen-year-old teenager.

Without saying anything, Koko climbed back under the blanket and let her settle against him. She removed her cap to sleep better and surprised him by grasping his hand. He looked at her in questions.

"If I fall asleep like this," she mumbled to him tiredly. "The first thing I'll see when I wake up… will be you…" she trailed off falling into peaceful slumber.

She knew he wouldn't be there when she awoke, but it was nice to cling to that thought.

**--**

It was around six thirty in the morning when Mikan slipped back into the apartment quietly. Her eyes drifted and saw all the males minus Narumi snoozing on their cots in the living room. She had to resist chuckling when she saw Tsubasa drooling while snoring and Tono talking about pretty girls in his sleep. Natsume and Reo twitched slightly once in a while in irritation showing that they were somewhat aware of Tsubasa and Tono's idiocy in their sleep—probably since they were the nearest to the two blubbering morons. As for the others, Ruka, Youichi, and Yuu were sleeping soundly without much of a disturbance.

Deciding that she wanted something to eat, Mikan crept over to the kitchen making sure she didn't make any noise. Her sock clad feet were silent against the tilted floor as she took out some orange juice from the fridge. Unlike her mother who gets a cup for orange juice, the teenager just opened the carton and gulped the vitamin C substance down her throat. Once she was done, she wiped her mouth and placed the carton on the counter.

Taking out a pan from the bottom cabinet, the girl fetched the pancake mix from the pantry before returning to the stove. She gathered some butter from the fridge and readied the pan at the same time as mixing the batter. Mikan heard her stomach growl in neediness for food as she mixed. Her hazel eyes glared down as if her mental warning would make it cower in fear and shut up.

However, the insufferable organ refused to corporate with her and continue its whining. Mikan just decided to ignore it distracting herself with cooking to drown out her growling stomach.

Still, the delicious aroma of the pancakes wasn't helping because that only made her stomach growl louder. Curses.

Too tired to do anything about it, the girl just retrieved a plate from the cabinet and scooped her pancakes onto it. Cleaning up the pan and all the ingredients, she picked up the carton of orange juice from the counter on the way to the table.

Practically drowning her pancakes in syrup, Mikan cut up a piece and scooped it up with her fork. Stuffing it into her mouth, she chewed on the fluffy substance greedily. She was about to swallow the tasty treat when she found herself staring into eyes of blue-green.

It was Youichi who stood at in front of the table looking at her with sleepy eyes and messier than usual gray hair. In one of his hands was the teddy bear he had when Mikan first saw him. Blankly staring at him as well, the girl swished the food in her mouth slowly before swallowing making a loud gulping sound.

The staring contest continued on before Mikan scooped up another piece of pancake raising an eyebrow under the bill of her navy baseball cap.

"Want some?" she asked.

Everything was still for a few seconds before the boy pointed his index finger at her with a blank stare.

"Ugly" he said in a monotone.

An anger mark appeared on her features while one of her cameral eyes was twitching. Ugly? What the hell was it with these boys and that adjective? Just because she wasn't a bishie like them didn't give them the right to refer to her as ugly!

_He really is like that bastard Hyuuga-san, _the brunette thought in distain and annoyance, _must've been corrupted by those other spawns of Lucifer at an early age. _

"Brat" she replied eating the piece of pancake. She swallowed it and spoke again, "Don't you have cartoons or something to watch?"

The boy just shook his head signaling no he didn't.

"Then go back to bed and leave me the hell alone" she told him not even bothering to censor her words. He was just going to say swears when he was older anyway.

"I'm hungry" he replied in monotone.

"I asked if you wanted some pancakes" she stated bluntly.

"You'd probably poison me" he said.

"Why would I poison you?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Because that's what witches do. They're ugly and poison people" he told her staring at her with a look that said she was stupid for not knowing that.

_He thinks I'm a witch? _It took all of Mikan's self-control to not lash out at the naughty boy. It was the morning and her patience was cut by seventy-five percent already. The fact that Youichi is insulting her isn't making that patience improve. Not at _all._

"I don't poison people, I just let them starve" she said with her eyebrow twitching the whole time. She gulped down the last of her pancakes and went over to the sink to rinse her dishes. Making sure she cleaned them thoroughly, the girl scrubbed them until she was sure they were clean. Placing them back into the cabinet clean again, she turned back to Youichi who was just staring at her.

"If you don't like my cooking, then get someone else to make something for you or get some cereal like a normal kid" Mikan told the little boy walking past him to her room. She wanted to sleep some more.

Plopping ungraciously on the bed, the brunette let out a diminutive groan muffled by the pillow. She didn't bother fixing her position for she too tired to. She was even too tired to move her limbs. Six thirty was _much_ too early to be up.

A sudden rhythmic poking brought her half-dead mind to the present. Couldn't someone get a decent sleep around here?

"Are you dead or something?" the voice of Youichi asked her continuing his irritating pokes. Mikan was ready to fling herself out the window, but she was too dazed to do such a feat. Damn, she might've been able to get some sleep on the fire escape too…

Giving up, Mikan turned her caramel gaze to the five-year-old. Her eyes—despite glazed over—told him he'd better make this good or else. Youichi ignored the clear warning in her intense eyes and tugged on her shirt. Knowing that the boy wouldn't leave her alone, she rose from her bed cracking some joints as she did so. She followed the boy out of her room and to the living room. Tugging her shirt near the front door, Mikan got what he was implying.

"I'm not your maid" she stated plainly to him crossing her arms. "Besides, I'm tired. Make one of those morons take you out" she said.

He shook his head telling her that he wouldn't do what she said. Mikan could practically fell her patience slip like water through her fingers. It was fricken six thirty in the morning! Who went out at fricken six thirty in the morning?!

Quiet steps behind Mikan alerted her of another presence in the room. She turned around to see Narumi standing there with a smile in greeting. Mikan felt alienated by his enlightened smile. No one should be that happy this early in the morning in her view.

"Ah! Mikan-chan! I see you and You-chan are up" he said in a loud whispering voice as to not make his other sons wake up. His happy expression then changed into one of confusion when he spotted his youngest standing at the door. "You-chan, what's wrong?"

"He wants to go outside at this ungodly hour" Mikan replied for him with a tone of frustration. "Since you're up and about, Narumi-san, why don't you do it?" she suggested—more like demanded really—to the older man.

Narumi sweat drop at his future step-daughter's harsh commanding tone. He perceived her as someone not in the mood for all of this squabble in the morning apparently. Still, his fatherly instincts were chiming in saying how cute his step-daughter was anyway.

All of a sudden, a light bulb went off in the blonde haired man's head. His violet eyes enlightened at his idea. Sure, his step-daughter would most likely try to murder him in his sleep—or awake if she's feeling extra sadistic he supposed—but it was a brilliant way for his youngest to get used to his new sibling and vice versa.

"Mikan-chan, why don't you take You-chan out?" he asked smiling kindly. "After all, it's clear You-chan wants you to take him out so why don't you have some fun, okay?" he persuaded.

His smile soon turned to an expression of nervousness when he caught sight—or most of anyway due to her cap shadowing some of her face—of her livid expression.

Oh yeah, she's gong to murder him while he's awake in the most sadistic way possible…

It seemed an internal conflict was going on in her head before she slumped her shoulders and grumbled out a "fine". She walked over to the key hanger, snatched her keys roughly, and grabbed a maroon light jacket. Placing on her sneakers, she and Youichi walked out the door with her locking it behind her.

_Definitely sleep with one eye open tonight Narumi,_ he told himself sweat dropping.

**--**

Mikan and Youichi walked in silence the whole way. What a strange pair they made: a teenager and a little boy with blank expressions on their features staying a foot away from each other like the other had the plague. If there were any people on the sidewalks, they would surely be raising an eyebrow.

Mikan ignored the little boy concentrating on the fresh air to calm her nerves. Honestly, this morning had been too much of a hassle for her liking. First she woke up on the roof alone, then she was insulted by the little brat known as Youichi, next she was deprived from blissful sleep by said brat, and finally she was forced to baby-sit the little demon by the flamboyant and too-happy-for-someone-in-the-morning Narumi.

Too much of a hassle indeed.

Looking up at the sky, Mikan stopped walking to gaze up at it. Upon a few more seconds of just staring at the sky, Mikan resumed walking with Youichi. The little boy raised an eyebrow when she stopped again in front of what he recognized as the store she enters every morning on their way to school to pick up her "breakfast sandwich" whatever that was.

"Stay here" she told him sternly. Walking into the convenient establishment, Youichi watched curiously as the she-witch exchanged some words with an older man across the counter. He greeted her warmly, a clear sign he knew her well, and handed her two wrapped items before saying another few words. She responded with a soft smile and a quiet laugh.

At that, the little boy had to watch in a sense of fascination. It was strange to him; to watch those soft rosy pink lips of hers that are usually set into a frown uplift slightly. He had never heard her laugh—he still couldn't hear it because of the glass door blocking the sounds inside—let alone smile. It was nice, he thought. The she-witch definitely looked pretty with a smile he had to admit.

His brothers didn't like the she-witch neither. Youichi wondered if they seen her smile either. Even though her eyes were shadowed by her baseball cap, the little boy and his brothers could clearly see her nose, cheeks, and rosy lips. He noticed that she had no blemishes or pimples—probably never did.

Mikan returned to him holding the two wrapped items. She held one out to him as the other still stayed with her. Her usual frown set upon her features once more.

"Here; you said you were hungry, right?" she reminded him. It was at that time that his stomach decided to chime in. He grasped the warm item gently still looking at her, "If you don't like it, don't eat it. I don't wanna hear any complaining, all right?" she warned him and resumed walking keeping a slow pace so he could catch up with her.

Though, even if Youichi wouldn't admit it, a frown on her face made her look… what was that word his father had said… oh yeah, "Cute".

Not that he would tell the she-witch of course.

**--**

Mikan and Youichi walked through the park. The young boy couldn't help but look around the park with a sense of wonder for he wasn't used to seeing places like this. Anything he could've ever wanted to do was at his house so why bother going to some park outside?

The sky was a beautiful mix of purple, blue, slowly appearing pinks, oranges, and yellows. The moon still hung in the evaporating night sky serenely. The she-witch didn't talk to him. She didn't speak to him; however, she seemed to know where she was going so he didn't make a fuss.

In a way, he was a little dissatisfied that she wasn't complaining. He was sure that extorting her for a walk in the early morning on a Saturday would've gotten _something_ out of her. Natsume nii-chan called it a "rise" he remembered.

He could tell that her lack of interest was frustrating his older brothers as well. It seemed like _nothing_ bothered her! All she did was shrug her shoulders and ignore them! What was she? A robot? He was sure she wasn't human because no human would just be nonchalant about torture inflicted on them!

Youichi took a small bite out of his sandwich. He had better, but it wasn't bad. In fact, he would say it was worthy enough for him to finish the whole thing. Stupid she-witch actually had taste after all.

That was another thing that bothered him. She was incredibly dense to her surroundings. Always has her face in a book. What was so good about books anyway? They were immensely boring and moronic. He was sure if she had to choose between a book and saving someone from a certain death, she would pick the book.

…On second thought, she would be too busy reading a different book to notice the person being threatened with certain death in the first place.

There was also her lack of etiquette. The girls he knew were delicate and poised. They had manners and knew when to keep their mouths shut. They were cautious about their appearance and had the decency to eat like a lady and not like a behemoth.

But the she-witch was not any of these things. She was blunt and unrestricted in her speech. She basically just threw on what was most comfortable not giving a crap about what she looked like. She had no manners and even treated beings superior than her like they were little specks she was flicking off her shoulder. Her lack of respect and nonchalant aura irritated anyone even when she wasn't _trying_ to.

The only thing the she-witch and girls in general had in common was that they were both _annoying_.

Mikan fell back on a park bench with a lazy posture. A loud sigh escaped her lips and she chucked her trash into the trash can getting a perfect hit. She turned to him with her usual nonchalant expression. Mikan then patted the spot beside her.

"It's about to start. Hurry up and sit down" she told him. Youichi furrowed his eyebrows at her command. He wasn't pleased with her telling him what to do—he didn't like it when some idiot would tell him what to do. The only people he listened to were his brothers and his father.

Mikan rolled her eyes when she caught a feeling of what he was thinking. She patted the spot again.

"I'm saying this because you'll have a better view. It'll be worth it; I promise." she told him.

Finally, Youichi approached the bench and climbed up to sit next to her. He sat there for about a minute impatiently before turning to Mikan with an annoyed expression.

"What are we waiting for, Hag?" he asked her. Mikan bonked him lightly on the head after he said that.

"Clam it brat," she warned him, "Jeez, hasn't anyone in your family have patience? I swear, spoiled rich folk can't sit still and wait for five seconds" she growled the last part to herself but he heard her.

"It's better than someone who has the manners of a caveman" he replied bluntly.

Mikan turned to look at him having her right arm rest on the top of the bench in a leisure fashion. He was surprised to find a sly smirk on her features.

"And actually stopping to smell the roses is much better than anything you rich people do" Mikan replied with that smirk still on her features. She then turned back to the horizon with that same expression, "Just look ahead and see what I mean"

Youichi turned his head to see what she was looking at only to have his eyes widen in astonishment. Beyond the horizon of the top of the trees shown the orange sun rising slowly on the horizon mixing the sky with magnificent shades of pink, orange, and yellow with the dark shades of purple and blue. The clouds were tinted many shades of colors. The sky was a lighter shade of blue and he could see some turquoise in it as well. The moon, that was once a bright white, was now blended in with light blue making it appear mesmerizing.

"Never seen something like this, huh?" Mikan asked him with a lazy, yet small, smile. "I tell you, no matter how many times I see the sunrise, it's still the most amazing thing I've seen. I feel like every time I see it, I'm seeing it for the first time over again" she explained to him.

She placed her arms behind her head and turned back to watching the fantastic scene. Her soft serene smile present on her face the entire time. Youichi could in only watch her in absorption. This side of her estranged him; made him feel out of place.

But it was in a good way. He felt… relaxed and enticed by her easygoing nature.

"I sweat, if I could, I would watch this for hours," Mikan told him gazing ahead. A quiet chuckle escaped her lips—a sound that he found quite pleasant rather than high-pitched like the other girls he saw—and she shook her head, "Man, rich folk don't know what they're missing" she murmured.

The boy too turned back to the sunrise. It was indeed spectacular to someone who had never seen this. He never thought, never dreamed, that something this beautiful; this shining; this glorious existed.

She was right; rich _didn't_ know what they were missing.

**--**

It was now far into the morning with children playing and parents sitting on the park benches. Teenagers playing football or kickball on the grass while others played fetch with their dogs.

On a lone bench sat a girl of fifteen wearing a navy baseball cap shadowing some of her face holding a five-year-old boy in her lap who was sleeping soundly. Her bound honey-brown ponytail and his messy gray locks swayed freely in the breeze like a slow dance.

For some reason, Mikan Sakura couldn't bring herself to move from that spot on the bench. She just felt so captivated by the peaceful atmosphere that had been eluding her for the past week. It felt nice, fastidious, to actually sit down and feel the cool breeze against your face. Her entire being was calm; not a trace of her earlier frustrations was found in her mind.

Steps against the grass made Mikan look up to see Narumi smiling gently at them as he walked over. He didn't speak nor did she when he sat beside her on the park bench. His eyes traveled along to see the many other occupants of the huge park that paid these three people no heed. It was like the people laughing and talking were apart of a movie or book and Mikan and Narumi were the audience.

"Narumi-san," Mikan spoke breaking the silence. He turned to see she was staring off ahead at some kids playing, but he didn't say anything. He noticed she stroked Youichi's messy tresses before resuming, "I've decided not to kill you" she told him.

"Aa, thank you for that Mikan-chan" Narumi gave her a smile. Inside his mind, he wiped off imaginary sweat off his forehead. Well, at least she wasn't plotting his demise anymore. "May I ask what changed your mind?" he inquired. Half of him expected her not to answer.

However, she did shockingly.

Mikan was silent for a moment looking down to Youichi. She stared at his blank slumbering face for a couple of seconds before speaking.

"I got someone to smell the roses for a bit" she said.

Narumi didn't question for her to elaborate. He knew she wouldn't; Mikan-chan just wasn't the type to talk up a novel. She was reclusive and only spoke when she felt it was necessary. She kept her secrets and preferred to spend her company in the presence of books gaining knowledge and being swept up in another world than go to the mall or go on dates like normal teens did.

It was very intriguing to him to say the least.

He was sure that others who have met Mikan-chan thought the same thing.

It was like she was a puzzle. A puzzle that was just waiting to be solved but refused to be solved. But don't underestimate her. If you think she is too easy to solve, she will shove her wit in your face leaving you lost. If you approach her cautiously and think of her hard, she only uses your cautiousness to her advantage.

Either way, she would find a way to outsmart you and continue to guard her secrets as she usually did.

"Nn, Mikan-chan, would you like some ice cream?" Narumi asked her. He had spotted an ice cream vendor a few meters away. Mikan turned to look at him and then nodded.

"Strawberry" she informed him. He nodded and went off to get him and Mikan some ice cream. He walked back to see she and his son were just as he left them. Mikan held Youichi in her lap as she watched the children play with each other. Their joyous laughter rang in the air.

"You seem to like watching the children play" he observed as he handed her the ice cream cone. She supported Youichi well with one arm while she took a lick out of her ice cream.

"I feel like it was so long ago when I was like that" she clarified for him. "It's strange, but I feel nostalgic when I look at them laughing. It reminds me when I was a child" she explained. Narumi nodded in agreement also watching them.

"What it would be like to be a child again everyone wonders" he told her licking his ice cream. "To be innocent from the world's blunders and be able to form bonds with others without distrust" Narumi said wistfully.

"To see the world's beauty without judgment and be able to look at everything in innocent, curious wonder" Mikan added solemnly. "If only the innocence of a child didn't have to be soiled as they age"

"Yes, but that's what makes childhood so precious. You only get it once and you should live it to fullest of your ability. That way, when you're an adult, you don't look upon children playing with sadness and a sense of loss" Narumi explained.

"Aa" Mikan agreed.

The wind blew gently across their faces. Their hair danced in the breeze ghostly. A comfortable silence reigned between them as they watched the children play. There were no feelings of remorse or pain as they looked upon these lovely beings. Just contentment and peace.

But Mikan would never admit, never speak aloud, that she felt a sense of loss as well.

* * *

**Karin: Okay, there's the seventh chapter. There's some Narumi/Mikan friendship bonding and some Youichi/Mikan bonding along with our beloved Koko/Mikan bonding. Yeah, Youichi doesn't like Mikan but he can admit some things good about her too. **

**Natsume: I'm not even going to comment. **

**Karin: Good, because I don't want you too. Anyway, I have a question for all you readers out there so please vote in your review (if you leave one that is): **

Do you want Mikan and Koko to be a pairing in this story?

**Personally, I find them adorable. But it's nice to hear your opinions as well. Please remember to say your answer in your review—that is if you choose to leave one, which would be really nice if you did. **

**Well, that's all for now. Oh, and if anyone cares or not, I was listening to some songs the other day and two of them seemed to remind me of Koko and Mikan in this story. **

**One: No Air by Jordon Sparks. **

**Two: With You by Chris Brown (only certain parts though since they don't really kiss and they're not in a relationship) **

**So, what songs do you think suit Mikan and Koko? If you say a song in your review, remember to say the title, artist, and why you think that song suits them (it can be a certain instance in the story so far with them if it's only about a specific scene). I'll be doing this with a lot of relationships in this story so it won't be just Mikan and Koko. **

**See ya Next time! **


	8. Of Bibles and Bondings

**

* * *

**

NOTE: These author's notes were created right after Christmas so they're out of date.

**Karin: Hey everyone! Hope your Christmas—or any other holiday if you don't celebrate Christmas—was well and joyous. **

**Natsume: Meh, I guess Christmas with you wasn't so bad. **

**Karin: Is that a compliment I hear Natsume? **

**Natsume: If it was a compliment I would've said I had the best time of my life, which I didn't say. **

**Karin: **_**(shrugs) **_**Well, I guess that's the best I'm going to get out of you. **

**Title: **Family Complex

**Rating: **Teen

**Genres: **Humor/Drama/Family/Friendship/Romance

**Pairings: **Mikan/multiple, Koko/Sumire, Yuka/Narumi (the matter of Koko/Mikan being **A** possibility is still being decided with me so I won't be talking about it in any of the replies to reviewers, kay?)

**Summary: **Mikan's life wasn't perfect, but she was contented… until her love-struck mother comes bursting into the apartment and claims she getting remarried! Now living with her future step father and future step brothers in her small apartment causes her life to make distract changes. Can Mikan survive all this change and pompous assholes for brothers or will she surrender and let them all become a family while changing them as well?

**Disclaimer: **Only own plot.

**Replies to Reviews from Chapter Seven: **

**Someone- **Happy you like the story.

**UnbornHope- **I'm glad that you thought the dream was epic. It's good to hear from you too reviewing wise.

**Catheriney2004- **I did feel very good after I read your review. I believe I did review some of your stories—did you see them? I think you do a good job with your stories and no, I'm not saying that just to keep you reviewing—you truly are good at writing. I'm glad that my chapters are enough for a "hungry reader". (laughs)

**Konnie- **Hope you like the next chapter.

**Tenshi07- **Your question kinda confused me, but Koko will come back again if that's what you're asking.

**Blizzel- **Really? I hope you put that fanfiction up soon then. (smiles) I'm pleased to see you enjoy the different bonds in this story. So I surprised you with the show tunes? To tell you the truth, it just came to me while I was drinking orange soda and watching "If Byakuya were gay" on youtube. It just goes to show how orange soda makes me even more random and insane than usual (laughs).

**Dominiqueanne- **Hope this chapter is to your liking.

**Alwaysbtheir- **Thank you very much. I hope you continue to like this story.

**Youichiix33- **You'll see in the future for sure about Mikan's past. I already have the whole thing planned in my head. I can't wait to write it! Youichi IS cute isn't he? (laughs) I just love that kid.

**HolyCatty- **Glad you think my story is fun to read.

**FallenAngel-Vein- **You'll find out later about Mikan's past definitely. Thank you for the compliment on my story and for not pushing me to update. School has been kinda mean to me what with finals and all, but it's almost over! Yay!

**Tearless Sonnet- **Koko is super adorable! I just can't help but love him (glomps Koko)

**Michiyo- **Don't worry about it. Anyway, glad you like the story.

**Chris3169512- **Very happy you liked the chapter. Yes, Narumi is awesome, isn't he? I'm happy you liked the Mikan/Koko bonding as well.

**Shirozu- **Thank you—I hope you continue to like this story.

**Ejo- **is that a good or bad thing that it took ten minutes for you to finish it? Yes, I have a feeling Natsume would totally do that if he found out Mikan was still a virgin (laughs).

**Vanilla Night- **Sorry this wasn't soon enough—school's been mean to me in the past month.

**Niceladysakura- **No sweat about not submitting a review for chapter six—you reviewed for this chapter so that's okay. I hope you liked my "Sui Generis" update. Again, sorry I was taking so long to update it. Hope you like this chapter like the last.

**YesThatsme- **Glad you enjoyed the chapter.

**XKasumiX- **I appreciate your praises. Thank you for liking this story.

**xll KUROI TSUBASA llx- **Thanks—yeah, that's what orange soda does to me, makes me more random and insane than usual (laughs).

**GluttonWithAnorexicTurnout- **Thanks. Hope you like the next chapter. By the way, thanks for submitting a song. All the songs for Koko and Mikan will be at the end of the chapter.

**BnWhites- **Yes, you are leaving me with hard decisions, but I will not hold it against you. No of course not, I mean it's not like my brain is giving itself migraines every time I weigh the pros and cons of my decision. Of course I'm not trying to make you feel guilty for my lack of sleep because of said decision… I'm just kidding you silly! Don't worry about it, kay? XD

**Crazyinlove3- **One of your favs you say? (blushes) well, thank you. It brought a smile to my face at the fact that you liked to beginning.

**Vk-kuran- **I love Koko too! He's too adorable to not be liked! I feel bad for giving him such crappy parents. Poor Koko! (sobs in a corner)

**Fluffypenguinscandy- **Yay for hyperness! Happy that you liked the chapter. Thanks for submitting a song. All the songs will be at the bottom at the end of the chapter in case you're wondering. Hopefully you'll continue to like this story.

**Germainelera- **Thank you very much. Sorry the update wasn't as soon as you would've hoped.

**Loubell- **Thank you so much! Instead of giving me just one song—you went over the bar and gave me four! Thank you so much.

**Jasmini- **I'm glad you like this story. Personally Koko is one of my favorite characters as well. He's so adorable.

**Alexxis T. Swan- **Happy that you like the story. Sorry the update wasn't quick enough—school's been mean to me lately.

**Sarah3905780- **Thank you—glad you enjoyed the chapter.

**Rainpool's Loyalty- **So true (laughs). Pleased to see you're enjoying yourself with this story. Don't worry; your review wasn't cut off the second time.

**Her star-lit starlite dreams- **so good that you put your review in all caps? (smiles)—or at least if your review wasn't cut off because it says "OMG SO GOOD! OMG I—" and I was wondering if you were going to say something after the "I"—Wow, thank you very much.

**XxXTwilight-SinXxX- **wait no longer my friend! The eighth chapter is here! (laughs).

**Kiribunny x3- **No sweat, I'm lazy too. (laughs)

**Kiyya- **Don't worry about boring me. Even if it's irrelevant, I still care (smiles). Congrats on making an account by the way. Thanks for the best of luck wishes and liking my story. Hopefully you'll stick around for future chapters.

**Black sapfire- **Wow, thank you for the compliment. No one had said my story was logical yet. Thanks.

**Yuz- **Thanks for submitting a song. And don't worry, Hotaru will show up in the story sooner or later.

**Amarantha Paiva Re- **Thanks for complimenting the plot and the fact that the characters aren't OOC. I was a little worried about that.

**Sapphire-Hime- **Thanks—I loved writing the Youichi/Mikan bonding.

**iiyumube- **Pleased to see you had some laughs. It's good to know this story is funny. Don't die! I can't use Natsume to pay for everyone's funeral and/or hospital bills anymore like in previous chapter replies! (Natsume: Ha! Got what you deserve Karin!).

**crimsonMoonlight20- **Sorry, can't answer that question—really sorry, please forgive me. I'm still in the deciding stage. I'm glad you thought this chapter was sweet, funny, and cute with the bonding in it. I hope you continue to enjoy yourself.

**Kuroi Hakumei- **It will. Don't worry. Sorry for not updating in so long.

**OoBoysInBooksAreBetteroO- **Yes, Hotaru will appear eventually. Just not for a while.

**Jaylene- **Thanks and sorry for the errors. I'll be more careful.

**IceGirl7- **thank you. Hope you continue to like it.

**AngelFromHell101- **Erm, well I can't really comment since it's about the whole Mikan/Koko pairing. But your opinion was nice to hear.

**Hime04- **Yay! Thank you so much! Hope you continue to like the story.

**Hikaru718- **Thanks for the song and compliment on the story.

**Vein's Simply Tired- **Sorry, sorry. To be honest, I began the chapter right after Christmas but then I stopped typing because I didn't have the motivation for a bit. Sorry.

**Loverbear101- **Wah! I do care! I really do, but I've been busy with my other stories and school. I'm really sorry. And you are not retarded! X)

**ooOFireKitsuneOoo- **OMG! That was so funny and I can actually see that happening. Could I maybe use that, but modify it a little? Your idea is a lot better than for what I had planned. I would give you credit for the idea of course.

**Sweetstuff417- **(teary eyed) thank you so much. When you said you'd support this story never matter what happens, that completely warmed my heart. Thank you.

**Xoxochisakixoxo- **I'll think about it. I was thinking of doing something like a dance later on, but I'm not sure.

**Hecate0808- **Thank you. Glad you like it.

**Orangestarphoenix- **Sorry this wasn't soon, but I'm very happy to see you really like this story. Thank you.

**SakuraLovers- **Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to keep you waiting that long.

**Yuka koyama- **Glad to see you like the story.

* * *

**Family Complex **

**Chapter Eight: **

**Of Bibles and Bondings**

**-**

**-**

**-**

Mikan Sakura irritably bumped the knee next to her with her own discreetly as she sat on the hard wooden bench. She suppressed a growl in her throat from breaking out lest she want her mother or anyone giving her disapproving looks.

You are probably wondering where in the world our capped heroine was on a fine Sunday morning such as this. Well, my readers, it is quite simple actually:

She was in church.

Yes, Mikan Sakura and her family were currently sitting through the ten o'clock mass on Sunday morning. The young teenager bit her lip to hold in her huff of annoyance at her mother's fickleness and crossed her arms against her chest. It was her entire fault to begin with.

Yes, Mikan and her mother had always gone to church, but only on Easter and Christmas. None of this "going on Sundays regularly to save our souls from eternal damnation"—or at least in Mikan's view that was what it was like; honestly, you're not going to get into heaven by the number of times you go to church for pete's sake!

Although Mikan didn't have such dark thoughts about church when she was younger, she couldn't help but be angered at the fact that her mother had suddenly dragged her to attend Sunday mass—something that they haven't attended since her father was alive.

I apologize—we are getting off topic. It was about nine in the morning and Yuka had come bursting in to Mikan's room telling her to get dressed and be ready for church. At first the teen was difficult and decided to stay in bed, but Yuka had been quick and stubborn and swiftly took all of Mikan's blankets leaving her uncomfortable and chilly.

It seemed the boys weren't really happy with the turn of events either. In fact, Mikan would bet her most prized baseball cap that none of her future family members had ever set foot in a church—much less practice the religion.

However, Yuka was strong and claimed that as a family, they needed to do family things such as going to church as a family should. Nonetheless, Mikan thought otherwise for she was sure Yuka's main goal of going to church was to pray that Mikan and her future step brothers would find peace and get along.

Clearly praying by her bedside every night wasn't working.

Ah yes, Mikan and her future brothers were still not seeing eye-to-eye. It's only been a week of course with them living together, but this past week and those little devils weren't making it easy. It must've gotten so bad in the adults' eyes because Narumi even supported the idea of going to church. Course, he said he wanted his family to start going to church too. "After all," he said cheerfully, "we are a family now."

_Family my ass, _Mikan thought begrudgingly as she retaliated with another knee bump when one was given to her. She was currently dressed in the same lilac polo t-shirt she wore on the night she had met said "family" with plain blue jeans and sneakers while sitting in the farthest back pew of the church in the corner.

And just guess who she had the pleasure of sitting next to. Go on; just guess.

Natsume Hyuuga bumped his right knee to her left one a little harsher than his last one. His eye was twitching in frustration at having to sit so close to the ugly midget known as his future step-sister.

Yup, apparently Narumi and Yuka both agreed that sitting those two next to each other would be the first step to rehabilitation. Since Mikan and Natsume were the worst at getting along, they decided to put the two next to each other in the back bench with the rest of the family sitting in the bench in front of them.

It didn't help much that they were forced to sit in such a tight spot either. They barely had any space to move—and even then they couldn't really move much since even the smallest form of movement would make them brush up against the other's person. Something that neither of them wanted.

So they were like negative magnets repelling each other and tried to keep everything in their power from being pressed up against each other. Sure it was incredibly uncomfortable and would probably give them aches, but it was worth it.

Of course, they couldn't really sit still and an accidental brush of knees lead to the current predicament of hitting each other with their knees while listening to the priest's speech on the bible.

They ceased their bumping when Yuka looked back at them to give her five minutely check. Then there was the matter of Yuka watching them like a hawk every five minutes. They of course made sure not to attempt to hurt each other when she looked at them. When she turned back around, the only thing moving were their knees bumping each other a little harder than they should.

Hey if they could give some kind of pain to the other, why let Yuka see what they were doing?

In a way it was like a game to them. A sick, twisted, sadistic game to them.

"Your thigh is pressing up against mine. Move it!" Mikan muttered out so only Natsume could hear. Even though she wasn't looking at him, instead looking at her lap with her arms still crossed, he knew she was glaring under the shadows of her navy baseball cap.

"You're the one pressing your thigh against mine. We're in a church and yet you insist on molesting my leg. Talk about perverted." Natsume retorted back in a grumble. He too stayed in his same position and not looked at her.

Mikan felt her eyebrow twitch at his statement. Why of all the—!

"Pff, you're the only molester in this church, pervert." she hissed at him. Bumping his knee again, she was rewarded with a knee bump of his own. "Like hell I would try to molest you." she told him.

"At least I _have_ people who want to molest me," he told her harshly bumping her knee again. She bumped his once more harder. "You, on the other hand, are too ugly to have someone try—or even think about—molesting you." Natsume insulted her glaring.

_WHAM!!! _

That seemed to do it for the next moment, Mikan took a bible and whacked him straight upside the head. The sound echoed throughout the tall gothic church ominously. Everything and everyone seemed to freeze and turn their attention to the back bench in the farthest left corner of the church. In fact, the priest himself went silent as they all stared at the pair of teens questioningly.

Mikan surveyed her surroundings with a blank stare. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.

"It was a fly," she explained with a straight face, "Wouldn't leave and it landed on his ear." she said flatly gesturing to Natsume who was currently nursing his head from her assault.

With that, the priest continued warily for a little while before getting back into his preaching. All of the people, including their family but with reprimanding stares from Yuka and Narumi, went back to listening leaving Mikan and Natsume forgotten.

"Bitch…" he muttered.

**

* * *

**

It seemed like an eternity before Mikan had set foot outside of the church, but under her nonchalant expression she couldn't help but scream—inwardly of course—to the heavens in joy that she was finally free of that godforsaken prison with her soon-to-be stepbrother.

Tugging on the bill of her baseball cap slightly and the other hand in her pocket, the teenager began her trek down the steps from the entrance and proceeded to travel as far away as possible from her "family".

"Mikan, we're over here, sweetheart!" called Yuka as if she didn't realize that her daughter was _deliberately_ moving away from them, but on the inside—away from the public eye—the woman was nearly tearing her hair out at her daughter's behavior. Couldn't her child—for once—not do as she pleased over others' wants?

The answer is no, Yuka, Mikan will never do something like that if it does not benefit her.

Oh Kami-sama, Hotaru has rubbed off a little on the girl.

Well, Yuka supposed this is what she got for allowing Mikan to pick her own friends without any impute on her part—and Mikan had to pick the loons and psychos.

But then again, wasn't Mikan a psychopath under that nonchalance as well?

_Birds of a feather flop together… _Yuka thought wryly.

Mikan let out a curse under her breath before turning back towards her—unwanted—company. Each step feeling heavier than the last and the plea of someone to smite her with lightening growing louder in her mind each time.

Nevertheless it's a super sunny and warm day today. There's no way in hell a lightening strike will happen right then and there. Better luck next time Mikan.

The party of ten then proceed their trek back to their small apartment when Yuka stopped and groaned. The others looked at her questioningly. Narumi pulled on a face of concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked her. Yuka shook her head in dismay and replied.

"I forgot that I needed to do some food shopping today and I left my wallet at home."

"We can use some of my money." Narumi suggested, but the woman shook her head with a thankful smile.

"No, I couldn't do that. I need to food so I'll be the one to pay for it."

"But this is my family too, Yuka." Narumi said smiling. "I want to provide for my family as well." he let out a charming smile causing Yuka to giggle a bit from enchantment.

"Well… I guess maybe this one time…"

"Too late." Reo cut in. The two adults—now abruptly yanked out of their romantic moment—turned to the teenage redhead with identical confused expressions.

"Huh?" they inquired dumbly.

"The little chibi just walked off muttering she'd do the shopping." Tsubasa supplied the information. And sure enough, the spot where Yuka's daughter was standing was nothing but empty air. The two adults blinked as they stared at the spot.

"But… she doesn't have any money…"

* * *

_Freedom at last. _Mikan sighed in relief as she walked down the sidewalk towards her destination. Hmmm, it was the weekend which meant Mochu was probably at the batting cages to do some of his art in the studio above it. His dad owned the local batting cages that was attached to a tiny restaurant/bar with a small art studio for Mochu. That guy had the weirdest tastes in art, but Mikan found his artistic ways to be very unique and interesting.

The echoing sounds of bats banging against baseballs grew louder as she drew closer. A grin couldn't help but come onto her features when the batting cages came into view. Increasing her speed somewhat, the teen speed-walked towards the establishment.

A tiny bell rang as she traveled into the restaurant/bar. An older man in his late thirties called out to her and she gave a slight wave and a smile before retreating towards the door that led to the batting cages outside. Grabbing a bat and finding an empty batting cage, she started up the machine and readied herself.

No sooner had she took her stance when a ball came flying out of the machine and she began to swing. If there was one thing Mikan loved, it was baseball. Ever since she was a child she had loved the sport—her dad used to play it with her all the time despite her very young age. In fact, her father was the one who introduced her to baseball in the first place. Like his daughter, her father loved the sport and proceeded to share that love with her. Although her mother was wary, she was glad that they were so bonded over something. Even after the passing of her father, Mikan still continued to play the sport.

Mikan swung her bat a little harder than necessary. Thinking about her dad's passing made her feel a little bit melancholic or put in a sour mood. Before the ugly feelings could settle in though, she distracted herself by concentrating on hitting the upcoming balls. Might as well enjoy it while she still can after all. When she got home, she'd bet ten bucks that her mom would reprimand her for running off like that—and not bothering to get any groceries while she was at it.

And while she was being scolded, she could picture those smug assholes watching her with satisfaction on their faces. Oh yes, they enjoyed her misery and misfortune no? Well, here's what Mikan thinks on that…

_WHAM!!! _

The baseball flew up high out of the batting cages into the sky. Mikan stared after it with a victory smirk on her features. Now if only that really was their faces like she imagined then everything would be perfect.

"I see someone is taking her frustrations out on baseballs that don't belong to her." a new voice drawled out teasingly. Mikan turned to smirk at the newcomer knowing full-well who it was.

"Shut up, Mochu."

Mochiage—nicknamed Mochu by his friends—was Mikan's third friend in their group of friends. While he was a little—okay, _a lot_—snarky at times, he was a funny guy to be with. He was sensible, but also had a tendency to question Koko and Kitsu's intelligence when they did something stupid—only for Mikan to question _his_ intelligence when it's him who does something sillier.

"By the way, what the hell is that?" Mikan asked as she pointed to the object Mochu was holding. The boy grinned when he saw what she was pointing to.

"It's my newest creation: A tiki stature made out of twislers!" he proclaimed proudly. Mikan only stared at it for five seconds before taking one and eating it. "Hey! Don't eat my art!"

"Then don't make it out of something edible." Mikan replied unbuttoning her lilac t-shirt to reveal a white tank top underneath. Man, it was hot today. Stripping off her t-shirt on the ground carelessly, she readied herself to hit another baseball.

"So, what is deserving of your imagine-their-faces-on-baseballs-so-you'll-have-an-excuse-to-whack-them quirk?" Mochu asked while watching her hit the baseballs and munching causally on a piece of twislers too. He was inside the batting cage with her, but didn't flinch at the fact that a flying ball could come flying at him at any given time.

"If Kitsu is the informant I know he is, you should already have an idea." Mikan stated.

"Oh? Your future step-dad, you mean?" Mochu asked, but Mikan had a feeling he already knew the answer before he even asked her that. "I'm sure he can't be that bad."

"It's not the step-dad, per say, it's what he brought with him." Mikan replied whacking another ball. The clanging sound of the metal bat and baseball colliding made an echo as she did so.

"A dog?" Did Kitsuneme forget to mention the demons spawns? Nah, she would bet her navy baseball cap Mochu just wasn't listening too busy thinking about new ideas for his art. Most likely it was the idea of the twisler tiki.

"His kids. Not only did he delude my mom exceptionally well into marrying him, but he brought along seven—sorry six. The mouse ain't that bad—demon sons of Lucifer with him. Six out of seven are around our age." Mikan said. Beside her she heard Mochu spit out his twisler in surprise and he coughed a bit.

"Sons? Our age? You're living with males of non-relation in that small apartment with only one bathroom?" Mochu asked utterly shocked. "What's mother going to do when she finds out you're cheating on her?!" he asked panicked causing Mikan to roll her eyes.

"I'm not cheating on Hotaru, you idiot. And I'd wish you would stop referring to us as husband and wife." Mikan deadpanned.

"Oh sure, that's what you say now, but I'm sure mommy dearest won't be pleased when she finds out daddy was keeping a secret from her." Mochu said in a playful, and slightly frightened as he thought about the raven haired girl overseas, tone. Mikan let out a snort.

"Oh please, she'd kill the persons I'm supposedly cheating with first before scolding me and then taking away my privileges for about a year." Mikan said swinging the bat. Mochu nodded in agreement.

Because no one stole daddy Mikan away from mommy Hotaru less you want an evil genius out for your blood.

"So, did any of them hit on you yet?" Mochu asked.

"They're more concerned with making my life hell than getting into my pants, Mochu." Oh yes, either way, those guys would definitely make it on Hotaru's hit list when she found out. Not _if_ mind you—_when_.

"As one of your children, I would suggest you report this to mother for backup." Mochu suggested—or rather told her to. The girl only rolled her eyes.

"I can handle it. Besides, Hotaru has better things to do than baby me. I don't want to interrupt her education because of my petty problems." Mikan explained. It was true. She didn't enjoy burdening Hotaru—or anyone for that matter—on her troubles. She was a big girl. She could handle it herself.

"Ah, you really love mother, don't you? Such a caring husband you are." Mochu said admiringly. The next thing he knew a flying baseball came and hit him in the face knocking him down to the ground. Meanwhile the female stood above him with a frown on her face while he twitched on the ground in pain.

"I told you to stop referring to us as husband and wife. And you, Kitsu, and Koko are not our children. If Hotaru and I ever managed to reproduce by some crazed sci-fi thing with each other then our kid would not be an idiot." Mikan bluntly told her.

"So violent…" Mochu whizzed out.

"So this is where you ran off to." someone else spoke. Mikan turned her head to see Ruka standing on the other side of the fence. In his hands were plastic grocery bags. Yuka must've made him do the shopping.

"Eh? Is this one of them?" Mochu asked all of a sudden perfectly fine. He looked at him up and down before turning to the capped girl. "Holy crap, dad! Are they _all_ bishies?"

"That's it. You're not getting anything for Christmas from me." Mikan said with her eye twitching. Ruka just watched confused at their exchange.

"Pssh, you just don't have a sense of humor." Mochu muttered.

"Calling me your father is disturbing. I blame all your rotten minds for coming up with such an absurd illusion." Mikan said referring to him, Koko, and Kitsuneme. When they were younger, the three of the males came up with the comparison that they were like one big family…except they took it a step further and named the two females the "parents" of the group since they always seem to take care of them.

"Meh, you realize that whatever you say, I'll just keep saying that." Mochu said putting his arm around her shoulders. He leaned to whisper, "By the way, you're sweaty."

"Whatever." Mikan told him applying to both of his statements but mostly the first one, "Do as you like."

"We need to get back home, Sakura." Ruka's voice cut in. The two saw he had a glare on his features, but it wasn't really directed at Mikan. "Yuka-san was getting worried about you for running off like that."

"Yeah, fine." Mikan said and pushed Mochu away with an impassive expression. "Tell your mom and pops I said hello." Mochu nodded.

"Yeah, my dad saw you and told me you were out here, but he didn't have a chance to talk to you. By the way, my sister is wondering when she can have her _Twilight_ book back. She's such an obsessed fan and can't live without that thing." the mention of the book made Mikan's eye twitch under her cap.

"She can have that piece of crap back. It wasn't even worth the paper it was printed on." Mikan stated shuddering. Good lord, even if she was engrossed in it—she could do that with any book whether liked or hated. It was just her way to tune people out from interrupting her—that book was horrible. Mochu's younger sister insisted she read it so she had lent the older girl her first book. Since it was well-liked, Mikan decided to read it.

It wasn't worth it. Definitely wasn't worth it.

Mochu nodded sympathetically since he had to deal with his sister's rants about it 24/7.

"I'll give it to Kitsu tomorrow so he can pass it on to you." Mikan said and waved him good-bye. Picking up her shirt on the dirty ground—not even bothering to dust it off mind you—and climbed over the tall fence. Once she was finished, she and the slightly impatient Ruka journeyed away from the batting cages towards their small apartment.

"Aren't you going to help me with these?" Ruka asked raising an eyebrow gesturing to the five plastic bags he was carrying. Mikan gazed at them for five seconds before replying.

"Isn't it the man's job to do the handy work?"

"Cow." he said under his breath but Mikan heard him perfectly. Her amber eyes narrowed.

"You know, I was just kidding, but now I'm definitely not helping you, _usagi_."

"W-why am I a bunny rabbit?" the blonde spluttered incredulously.

"Hmm, I didn't think you'd submit to doing grocery shopping, Nogi-san." the brunette said changing the subject smoothly. Ruka glared at her before his eyes widened at the fact that she wasn't wearing a baggy shirt like they usually see her in. The white tank top fit her form well allowing Ruka to see her curves. While not a super model or having a killer body, she wasn't bad either. The average form suited her small body.

_Oh jeez, I'm turning into Natsume, Tono, Tsubasa, and Reo! _Ruka freaked out in his mind as a rosy tint rose up to his cheeks. He quickly shook his head rapidly in order to rid his mind of such thoughts; however, another thought came in without his permission. _She's almost a B. _

"Gah!" he let out a yelp his face completely red. Mikan stared at him with a raised eyebrow as Ruka desperately tried to clear his head of cup sizes or any other perverted thoughts.

_The heat must've made his brain fry. _Mikan thought looking at him.

"Okay, I don't care what in the world is going on in that head of yours so can we keep going?" Mikan's voice brought him back out of his frenzy. He nodded embarrassed, although still keeping up his mean front a bit, and they began to walk again.

"And to answer what you said earlier. It wasn't just me—everyone went shopping because you had run off. Yuka-san just asked me to look for you."

_Ah, another bonding activity, _Mikan deadpanned in her mind, _and here as well. Doesn't mom ever stop? _

"Aa." was all she said. On the other hand, she would admit that it was strange that he actually agreed. Maybe it was part of keeping up their "kind" front for her mother.

Meanwhile Ruka was thinking about when he had found his step-sister. Her and that guy looked pretty close, and for some reason, he didn't like that. Perhaps it was because she was their toy and they wanted her to be miserable? But that really wouldn't explain why he felt an extreme resentment for the unknown male.

Nevertheless, he could see that his step-sister and that male had nothing more than friendship with the way they were acting. While he got immensely angry about when the male had put his arm around their toy, he could see it was platonic.

But that didn't stop the feeling.

"Oi, usagi. In about five more steps you'll be in the street. Then the groceries would be lost if you got run over." Mikan called to him making Ruka's eye twitch. She only cared about the food?

"Don't you have any compassion?"

"Not towards you or your demon brothers."

"We're demons you say?" Ruka smirked. "Are we affecting you that much?" so it looks like they were getting somewhere in this game with her after all.

"No, but it's plainly obvious you're demons to anyone with a brain." Mikan said as they crossed the street when the light gave them the okay.

"Are you saying your mother doesn't have a brain?" Ruka asked the brunette.

"No, she's blinded by other things at the moment to notice what monsters you are." Mikan said simply. "My mom's so happy that if she walked into a street and got run over, she wouldn't notice."

"That's horrible." Ruka stated with a sweat drop.

"You're all horrible." Mikan muttered irritably. "Why did things have to change? It's a load of crap."

"Hmm, you realize you're just giving me something to use against you later, right?" Ruka said smirking.

"Can't you be quiet? For once, I would like a moment's peace without you all disrupting my thoughts. Jeez, why do you think I run away from any type of bonding activity in the first place?" Mikan said turning to him even though he couldn't see the fire burning in her amber eyes. She was so caught up in her annoyance that she didn't notice herself stepping into the street with cars coming.

"Hey! Watch it!" Ruka shouted dropping the groceries and pulling her back with his arms around her before the approaching car came to hit her. Silence then reined between them as neither of them moved from their positions with the groceries scattered around them.

"That's why you're a rabbit." he heard her murmur. "On the outside you may be tough, but I think that it's just hiding the nice guy inside that cares about his brothers from the world's view."

Ruka stayed quiet as he gazed down at her.

"…the groceries." Mikan murmured in dismay. Ruka then realized that indeed the groceries were ruined.

"Guess we should get some more." Ruka said still having Mikan in his arms.

"What do you mean by 'we'?" Mikan asked making Ruka glare down at her, but then he heard her sigh. "I'm kidding. Since you prevented me from becoming a pancake on the road, I'll escort you to the grocery store." Mikan told the blonde.

"You make it sound like I'm a lady in need of a chaperone in the old days."

"Because you are, house wife."

"Now I'm a house wife? What is it with you and your weird observations of me?"

"You're the one who's weird. Do you realize you haven't let go of me yet?" Mikan pointed out casually. Ruka then released her and Mikan began to clean up the mess. Once that was done, she gestured for Ruka to follow her, "Come on, usagi. I'm not the one with the wallet."

_So I'm the one who's paying… _Ruka thought with a sweat drop.

"_On the outside you may be tough, but I think that it's just hiding the nice guy inside that cares about his brothers from the world's view." _Mikan's words floated in his head.

"Hey!" he called out to her making her stop. She turned to him showing he had her attention. "What made you think that? You know, about what you said." he questioned her.

Mikan only looked at him for a few seconds before a small smile came on her face. It made her visual features prettier a little.

"Tobita told me that you guys weren't so bad given the chance. This one time, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt." and with that, she began walking again with him following behind her.

And it was then as he watched her Ruka came to a conclusion.

_She's like a bird. _

Free and did as she pleased.

* * *

"We never speak of this to anyone. It's too weird to be on neutral terms with each other." Mikan said when they walked out of the grocery store. They were both carrying grocery bags.

"I agree. It's against the rules to be like this." Ruka said nodding.

"Rules?" Mikan asked. Ruka realized his mistake and quickly amended.

"Nothing." It wouldn't be good for the pet to find out about the game she tangled herself in. They wanted absolutely no chance for her to win.

"RUKA-KUN!!!" someone shouted and the next thing the duo knew, Ruka was tackled and his grocery bags flew into the air and hit the ground ruining them.

"Where did you go when I was with all of you today? You just disappeared when I showed up! Honestly and then a flying baseball comes out of nowhere and hits Andou-senpai in the head so they all had to head home!" a green haired girl with emerald eyes said as she super glomped the blonde boy.

"O-oh, really?" Ruka said trying in vain to get out from her iron-like grasp.

"Ah, Natsume-kun was so good-looking as usual, but it's not the same without you, Ruka-kun." The girl gushed out. She appeared to be the same age as Ruka and Mikan.

"Oi."

"Eh? What is it?" the girl's voice took on an irritated tone as she turned towards the person who spoke. There was Mikan standing a foot away with a dark aura on her form.

"The groceries… you ruined the groceries."

The girl stared at Mikan for a few seconds before she let out a shout and pointed accusingly at her with a super glare.

"You! You're Sakura Mikan! What are you doing here with Ruka-kun?!" she demanded.

"The groceries…" she said again completely ignoring the girl's questions. However, that didn't last long for Mikan yanked Sumire off of Ruka and began to drag her into the food store.

"Do you have any idea on how much food you just wasted?! That food was perfectly fresh and it wasn't eaten at all! That could've fed a third-world county, Permy!" Mikan seethed as she proceeded to drag the seaweed haired girl inside.

"Permy?! Who are you calling Permy, you witch?! Let go!" the seaweed girl shouted as she hung onto the doorway in a rather comical fashion.

"You let go and buy me some fricken groceries!"

"I'm not getting you any groceries!"

"I don't care! Give me your goddamn wallet and let me buy them myself!"

"Are you an idiot? I just said no!"

"And I say too bad!"

And thus issued three relentless hours of yanking, yelling, and struggling between two girls who didn't really know each other—and Ruka taking the remaining groceries home leaving Mikan there after a half an hour into it. Whether this was by some kind of twisted fate that these girls would meet in such a comical way or the fact that it was coincidence, the fact remains one thing for sure.

This was the day that Mikan Sakura met Sumire Shouda—the biggest fangirl in the world.

* * *

**Karin: There you have it! Chapter Eight folks! Hope you enjoyed it. Yeah, so Mikan had officially met Sumire. At first they'll be enemies, but their relationship will change later on. I just love writing about these two. It's so much fun. **

**Natsume: Well, that was lame. **

**Karin: (sticks tongue out) Aw, you're just jealous that Ruka got to hold Mikan and you didn't. **

**Natsume; I didn't think it was possible, but you've actually achieved a whole new level on the stupidity scale. **

**Karin: Anyway, please review. They are much appreciated. Also, if you are a Koko/Mikan fan, check out my oneshots "Sweet Simplicity" or "Unexpected" if you want. Have a good weekend everyone! **

**Koko/Mikan Playlist: **Thanks to all those who contributed. You all rock! (I added some more too, by the way)

Friends Forever- Vitimon C  
No Air- Jordan Sparks  
With You- Chris Brown  
Not Quite Paradise- Bliss 66  
Here (in your arms)- Hellogoodbye  
Here Without You- 3 Doors Down  
When You're Gone- Avril Lavinge  
Realize- Colbie Caillat  
Thousand Miles- Vanessa Carlton  
The Great Escape- Boys Like Girls  
Accidentally in Love- Counting Crows  
Big Yellow Taxi- Counting Crows  
Ocean Avenue- Yellowcard  
Could it Be- Christie Carlson Romano  
Her Diamonds- Rob Thomas  
Anywhere but here- SafetySuit

**Next up for songs is Ruka and Mikan! **

I Hope you Dance- Lee Ann Womack

**Please be kind enough to submit a song and its artist. Thank you very much. **

**See ya Next time! **


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